Monda Student Resource Center wraps first year at full strength

An error occurred while preparing your download

Monda Student Resource Center wraps first year at full strength

Student shares experience with food pantry

Zinab Alramadan learned about the Buckeye Food Alliance at The Ohio State University from her older sister, a fellow student.

Alramadan is a third-year student studying human resources. She is at Ohio State thanks to a scholarship from her home country of Saudi Arabia. Money can be tight at times as a student, she said.

"My sister taught me about the resources at the Monda Center," she said, referring to the Monda Student Resource Center (MSRC), a campus facility that houses a food pantry, career closet and much more. "She came here a year before me, so when I arrived, she already knew about it. She told me there's support for students like food and other things."

MSRC opened in April 2025. The first year was an opportunity to set benchmarks, said Morgan Vibbert, associate director. The resources available, like the Buckeye Food Alliance's Student Food Pantry (BFA) and the Reid Family Career Closet, aren't new, but Vibbert wondered if they needed a refresh.

"I call it 'year zero,'" she said. "We were doing as we were building, as we were learning - what worked well, what didn't, what aspects of programs that had been on campus for years needed to be revitalized. This first year really was a learning opportunity for us."

The food pantry is MSRC's most frequently used service, Vibbert said. There is no limit on how often students can visit or how much food they can take. Over the last year, more than 1,500 unique student patrons engaged with MSRC programs over 6,000 times.

"We are not a needs-based resource," Vibbert said. "As long as you're a Buckeye - a virtual-only Buckeye, a Columbus Buckeye, a regional campus Buckeye - as long as you have a physical or digital Buck ID and are enrolled in one credit hour, you're welcome to utilize any of our resources."

Alramadan is a patron, but she is also helping with the pickups as a volunteer this semester. Pitching in helps combat the isolation that can accompany being an international student, she said.

"That's the reason why I joined the BFA," she said. "Everyone is so friendly. They've accepted me as I am. I have a language barrier sometimes. They told me that's no problem. Actually, they're trying to help me level up my skills in communication and things that will help me in my job in the future. It feels so great working there because now I know people."

Students may feel anxious going to a food pantry, but Alramadan said she never experienced anything other than kindness as a patron.

"They don't judge your situation or your background. They even sometimes tell me a joke just to make my day."

One of the MSRC's goals for the food pantry is providing more fresh foods so students can prepare their own meals, Vibbert said.

Alramadan is grateful to have access to ingredients like rice, tuna and whole vegetables. Besides being nutritious, they give her a taste of home.

"My home country's main cuisine is rice," she said. "I love cooking the rice and the tuna that the food pantry provides, and fresh produce. That makes a whole dish, and it tastes similar to the food at home."

Vibbert said the team at MSRC helps students make food choices independently, for the first time in some cases. That can include learning how to navigate grocery stores and cooking for themselves. Alramadan credits MSRC for helping her find something familiar.

"I was surprised that the rice here is so similar to my home country's rice," she said. "The color is different, but the taste is the same."

In addition to food, the MSRC offers cooking supplies free of charge.

"We noticed that some students wouldn't take fresh or frozen items because they didn't have cooking utensils at home," Vibbert said. "We currently provide can openers, oven mitts, cookie sheets, pots and pans."

Alramadan is not just a patron and volunteer. She's also a walking advertisement at times.

"I told my neighbors because I live in an apartment where a lot of international students live," she said. "When they see me carry a lot of food, I see their facial expressions and they are curious. I tell them where to get free groceries. If they need help, I tell them about MSRC."

There is nothing wrong with needing a hand, she said.

"I would tell them it's OK to ask for help," she said. "This is such a great source for support because overall it's here to support students, not to judge students."

More Ohio State News