Our spring textbook request form is now open. Submit by Monday, March 18th; details are on our lending library page

Communities look out for each other. At the Basic Needs Center, the student team works together to build community, share resources, develop strategies and have fun along the way. BNC Student Leaders use their experience and training to help other students find resources and create a plan to make it to graduation in an increasingly expensive college environment. When students visit the BNC, they learn about the main campus food pantry, the BNC Textbook Lending Program and other resources funded by the student fees they pay each term. The BNC team believes in an ethos of "radical hospitality" - drop in anytime the center is open (no appointment needed!) and don't be surprised if you're offered a cup of coffee or a snack while you're here.

Getting Involved with the BNC Community

Students who visit the center can get involved with a cooking project that might be happening, join a button-making project or be invited into a conversation about budgeting or finding housing in Corvallis. We believe everyone can belong at the BNC, can be a part of building a strong community that looks out for each other. We love how often faculty and staff and other students want to share our work and get involved. The best way to get involved with the BNC is to come visit and get to know us; we appreciate collaborations that start with a conversation. Our student leaders can give tours of our space and are also available to present to classes, departments or other groups. The BNC Student Leaders have great tips on planning food drives or other solidarity efforts you might be considering. Other partnerships and event collaborations are also possible, but we encourage our community to come connect with us so we can explore each other's strengths, goals and workloads together. 

Getting Support from the BNC Student Leaders

BNC Student Leaders are some of the most helpful OSU students around! When you come to the center (or call us), BNC staff are available on a drop-in basis for a wide range of support to common basic needs challenges for OSU students. Leading up to the school year, BNC staff are regularly helping other students create strategies and find resources connected to the local expensive rental market. As the school year starts rolling, the team can help students find textbooks or fill out an application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The team can also help with the Oregon Health Plan applications, talk through safe places to park vehicles while students are sleeping in them, connect students with a food box, or figure out how to find more strategies for food on a tight budget. Drop in anytime and say hello. Our student team wants to see everyone make it to graduation and we have resources and ideas to help. 

Other ways to connect with the BNC

Our approach to radical hospitality means we prefer in-person drop-ins so we can offer students a comfortable place to sit and a snack. We acknowledge that sometimes making it to the center is difficult. There are other ways to connect with BNC student leaders. Give us a call at 541-737-3747 to talk in real time to a BNC team member when you have a few minutes between classes or on your lunch break at work or just have a quick question that you want to ask. It's also a great idea to find us on social media. Our Instagram account is where we push out most of our time-sensitive updates and information. We post less often to Facebook. Students at OSU love the @eatfreeOSU twitter account that helps create more awareness of opportunities to get involved at OSU (and get some food at the same time), but our primary twitter account is @BNCatOSU. Ecampus students are also welcome to give us a call for support or email [email protected] to set up a remote appointment. Remote appointments are only available to ecampus students located out of the area or for students with an accommodation need connected to a documented disability.