ERIE, Pa. — A $100,000 gift from Anne Eisert and Jim Piersol will expand the Lion’s Pantry at Penn State Behrend, where students can anonymously request free supplies of food and personal-care products. The endowed fund will provide more than 130 additional bags of food to students every year.
The Lion’s Pantry began as an AmeriCorps VISTA project. The pantry is now managed by the Civic and Community Engagement team at the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel. It fulfilled more than 300 requests for food in 2025.
More than 20% of all college students experience food insecurity, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
“We cannot imagine how difficult it must be for a student to study while hungry,” said Eisert, who attended Behrend for two years before earning a degree in mechanical engineering at Penn State in 1986. She earned an MBA at Behrend in 1995.
“Students working toward a college degree should not have to worry about where their next meal will come from,” Eisert said. “By supporting the Lion’s Pantry, we hope to ensure that no student has to choose between their education and their well-being.”
Students order from the pantry anonymously, choosing kitchen staples ― soups, cereals, pastas and breakfast bars ― and personal-care items, including toothpastes, deodorants and feminine-hygiene products. Orders are picked up at Smith Chapel.
“We’re at a point in our lives where giving back to Penn State feels important,” said Piersol, a retired optometrist who attended Behrend for two years before earning a degree in biology at Penn State in 1988. “The University has greatly shaped our careers by providing us with incredible opportunities. When we decided to make a gift to Penn State Behrend, our goal was to help as many students as possible each year. The Lion’s Pantry seemed like the perfect fit, because it supports so many students.”
To add to the fund, and to further expand the pantry’s impact, visit the Eisert Piersol Lion’s Pantry Fund page at raise.psu.edu.
Eisert and Piersol are both active on the board of the Lake Erie Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association. Eisert often volunteers at Youth Education Outreach events and with the Women’s Engagement Council at Behrend.
“Anne and Jim embody the vital role our alumni play in supporting students at Penn State Behrend,” said Kelly Shrout, director of student affairs at Behrend. “The way they have structured this gift is important: Students who skip meals, or reduce the size of their meals, often see a drop in their academic performance. Some have to step away from the college experience until their basic needs can be met. The Lion’s Pantry is an essential lifeline for our most vulnerable students.”
Gifts like the Eisert-Piersol Family Fund for the Lion’s Pantry at Penn State Behrend advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.