Welcome to the Basic Needs Center
At the Basic Needs Center, we’re here to offer basic needs strategy support and to build community with our classmates who are navigating tough economic situations - we know it's tricky! Using campus resources is a regular part of life as a student. Our programs focus on key areas:
- housing
- food
- living on a budget with limited resources
Our resources
The BNC team offers the following resources to support students:
- Basic needs strategy conversations with a peer navigator
- When you face a challenge or need to figure out next steps, you can have a thought partner here. Together, you can think things through, identify goals, explore strategies, and build a plan.
- Workshops to build useful skills like cooking
- Build your skills by practicing making new foods, learning how to find an apartment and roommates, trying techniques for de-stressing during midterms, and more!
- Leadership activities and discussions with other students and faculty
- Engage in activities that build confidence, communication skills, and collaborative action.
- Social events and team-based volunteering
- Events pull people together to build connections and friendship through art, games, working on pantry preparations, or gardening.
- The OSU Food Pantry* and Beaver Healthy Boosts
- Free food is offered at scheduled times weekly to be part of your plan to meet needs. While direct aid isn’t the main focus of our work, this is another way we’re here to support you as you work through challenges.
- A spot to study or hang out with friends
- Whether you're working on assignments, taking a break, or looking for a place to relax, it's a space where you can feel comfortable. Friends can meet up to play a game, too.
*The OSU Food Pantry is an equal opportunity provider - you do not need to be a student to shop.
Snapshots of the Basic Needs Center
Using the website
Our site is organized by task. Look across the topics in the top menu bar to find what you would like to do. You can learn about programs and ways to use or share resources. The 'Let's Connect' page has a lot of information about ways to contact us and join in at the BNC.
When you are ready come visit the BNC, we look forward to seeing you.
Still curious? Learn more about what it's like
On any given day at the center, you’ll find a welcoming atmosphere full of energy—whether it’s conversations over coffee, laughter, music, the cozy glow of the fireplace during the winter months, or a spot on the patio to sit with wi-fi in the summer. It's designed to be a supportive space where you can feel at ease. When you arrive, expect to be welcomed and invited into conversation.
Take a virtual video tour of the center or find below a text version of the video tour.
Text Version of the Video Tour
The front door of Champinefu Lodge opens into the lobby, with the elevator on the left and the reception desk ahead on the left for check‑in, donations, laundry appointment check-in, and basic needs questions. Past the lobby, the room splits into a lounge on the left—with soft seating, laptop tables, a fireplace, and a computer station with free printing—and a dining area on the right with tables, a hospitality area with warm drinks and bagels, and access to the kitchen used for cooking classes. The food pantry entrance is in the lobby; it is a large L‑shaped room with shelves, coolers, freezers, and rolling shopping baskets, with an exit through the kitchen into the dining room.
The lower level (floor 1) has the shower room, lactation room, textbook lending library, and a laundry room with five washer–dryer sets available by appointment.
Floor 2M, accessible by stairs or elevator, contains the restrooms and the free printer.