When students founded the Otterbein Promise House in April of 2016, it was built upon a simple pledge: “We’re going to make a promise to our peers that no financial barrier will get in their way of success.” Now, a decade later, the student-led food pantry has grown into a vital campus resource that not only addresses food insecurity, but helps students navigate any and all barriers that may stand between them and their diploma.
Ella Jay
Promise-turned-pantry
Ella Jay
(Left to right) Jen Pittel, Melissa Gilbert and Faith Withrow
In 2015, a panel of Otterbein students gathered for a conference to discuss the hidden costs of college.
“Every single one of the students on that panel talked about being hungry,” says Dean of Student Engagement Melissa Gilbert. “Within two weeks of talking about a food pantry, other people on campus said, ‘Yes, this is an absolute need.’”
Taking advantage of a Resident Life space with an already-converted room fit for a food pantry, students quickly got to work; forming an executive team, creating business and communications plans, designing logos and throwing a launch party complete with a ribbon cutting.
With help from local partners, the House truly came to life. Students met with Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM), a longtime partner of Otterbein’s, to learn how to properly set up and run the pantry. Gilbert says Mid-Ohio Food Bank and AmeriCorps stepped up to the plate as well, sending advocates to help train and manage student volunteers.
Today, the House receives help and donations from all over – faculty and staff, Church of the Master United Methodist, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and private donors, among several others.
“Over the past 10 years, we’ve probably had more than 400-some private donors who fund us with cash donations, which are extremely important for us,” Gilbert says. “That helps us fill the shelves and buy supplies.”
In fact, one of the largest donations made to the House, an industrial-sized refrigerator and freezer, was privately funded. The new fridge and freezer made it possible for the pantry to also stock fresh food, which comes directly from the Otterbein Community Garden.
“The direct connection between the Garden and the Promise House is something we’re very proud of,” says Gilbert. “It was critical… teaching students how to grow their own food (because) food insecurity is not just about hunger, it’s also about access.”
Other donations the House receives but cannot keep are given to the Otterbein Thrift Shop, and any unused fresh food is composted.
Stigma-free support
Recognizing that hunger is, oftentimes, just the tip of the iceberg, the Promise House has become a holistic hub for community-based support. Its pantry also includes school supplies and personal hygiene items, and the House connects students with a plethora of other resources.
These resources help address needs related to academics, financial stability and employment, technology, clothing and household items, health, transportation, housing and social programs. Additionally, the House offers emergency mini grants, giving students up to $75 at a time and up to $300 over the course of their Otterbein career.
Jen Pittel, an Otterbein graduate who recently joined the Promise House team as a resource navigator, specializes in leveraging those support systems to make them more accessible.
“My day-to-day work looks like creative problem solving, researching and investigating. Students come in with unique needs, and I see what resources exist for them… and how we can assist,” Pittel says.
Part of what makes the House a community hub is also its student-led, stigma-free environment. Students don’t just visit to grab groceries or cook; they also come to hang out, study and even gain hands-on skills through volunteer or paid positions.
For example, Faith Withrow, a sophomore at Otterbein and a Promise House coordinator, says her role makes the Promise House less intimidating to utilize.
“As peers, we’re on the same level. You have genuine conversations, and there’s no extra pressure,” Withrow says. “I’m the first point of contact (when students walk in), making sure they’re welcomed and not being judged. I tell them, ‘I go to the Promise House all the time, it’s an amazing resource.’”
Ella Jay
Community at the core
During the 2024-2025 school year, the Promise House served 1,966 students and awarded 98 emergency grants – but its impact extends far beyond the numbers. Rooted in Otterbein’s longstanding commitment to community service and student success, the House has become a place where connection, belonging and stability are just as vital as the resources themselves.
“Otterbein as a whole is very supportive, and the Promise House is part of that support,” says Withrow. “We’re like a family here.”
As the House looks forward to another decade of supporting students, Gilbert and Pittel say they’d like to focus on building up programming related to financial wellness, life skills and nutrition-based education.
“We help our students understand how to navigate barriers to success and give them resources, but we also want to help them build skills to navigate the rest of the world,” says Gilbert.
Ella Jay is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ejay@cityscenemediagroup.com.
