Bruin Pantries
The Bruin Pantry provides students with food and other necessities at no cost. Since 2013, the Bruin Pantry has grown from a student-led “campus cupboard” into five thriving pantry spaces across our campuses.
Thousands of students have been served at the Bruin Pantry. SLCC pantries are open to all students and employees.
Nurturing Communities
In corporate social responsibility, the partnership between Smith's, a division of Kroger, under the leadership of Tina Murray, Corporate Affairs Manager for Smith's, and SLCC’s Bruin Pantry stands out as a beacon of community support and sustainability. At the core of this collaboration is the shared mission of the Zero Hunger/Zero Waste Initiative, the Kroger Foundation’s strategic framework to address hunger and environmental sustainability in the communities it serves.
“This initiative focuses on creating hunger-free communities and reducing our impact on the environment by minimizing operational waste,” Ms. Murray shared. Kroger’s corporate commitment echoes Smith’s local aspirations as they look to partner with like-minded organizations that share this vision. She went on to state, “We look to partner with primarily non-profit organizations that have created sustainable systems we can support, and the Bruin Pantry has done just that.”
Tina shared that the strategic considerations behind the consistent support from Smith’s to the Bruin Pantry lie in the pantry's ability to reach underserved populations, its meticulous strategic planning, and innovative practices, including robust data systems that measure impact. This partnership is a testament to Smith’s commitment to initiatives that go beyond increasing volume, focusing on meaningful and lasting impact.
Smith’s envisions its donations as a catalyst for achieving the broader corporate social responsibility goals set by the Kroger Foundation. In 2017, the Foundation implemented the Zero Hunger/Zero Waste initiative, aiming to provide billions of meals to communities and rescue surplus food from landfills. Smith's, operating locally in Utah, has already made a substantial impact, with cash, product, and gift card donations translating to 5.5 million meals in the past year.
The hope is that these contributions will serve as an example for other corporations and inspire them to invest strategically in educational institutions like SLCC. Ms. Murray stated, “We encourage potential investors to witness SLCC’s impact firsthand, connect with students, and understand the tangible outcomes achieved through such partnerships.”