Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis colleges, universities have food pantries for students

Published

4 months ago

November 7, 2025

Indianapolis colleges, universities have food pantries for students

With SNAP benefits still up in the air, many people are looking for ways to get food for free to fill the gap.

That includes college students. A 2020 federal survey found that about a quarter of U.S. college students are food insecure, meaning they either have no access or limited access to healthy food.

Local universities are aiming to address that gap with campus food pantries.
Here’s where Indy students can find food at their schools:

IU Indianapolis

IU Indy students can get free food at the university food pantry, called Paws’ Pantry.

To make an appointment, log into this online portal and sign in with your IU login information.

Students and staff can visit the pantry once a week. Appointment slots are available one week in advance and will close 24 hours before the pantry opens — for example, availability for a Wednesday appointment will close Tuesday at 11 a.m. The pantry is open Tuesday-Thursday.

When you get to the pantry, you’ll be able to shop for 15 minutes. Bring your IU Crimson Card with you to the appointment.

If you need food immediately and can’t make an appointment, email jagsfood@iu.edu. The pantry will provide an emergency one-time bag of food.

If you go: PAWS Pantry, located in Room 130 of the Campus Center, 420 University Blvd. The pantry is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and noon to 6 p.m. Thursday.

Ivy Tech

Ivy Tech students and employees can get food at both the main Indianapolis campus near downtown and the location in Lawrence.

Students and staff can shop once every two weeks at either pantry. But because demand has increased a lot this semester, options for available food might vary day to day. You do not need to make an appointment.

If you go: Students can shop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Bear Necessities food pantry, located in Room 414 of the North Meridian Center, 50 W. Fall Creek Parkway North Drive. The Lawrence food pantry is located in room 376 and open twice a month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For the rest of the year, the pantry is open Nov. 13, Dec. 4 and Dec. 9.

For more information, email indianapolis-ivycares@ivytech.edu.

Butler University

Butler’s food pantry is located in Atherton Union Room 301 and is open for all Butler students.

The pantry provides shelf-stable foods and a limited number of meal swipes for the dining program.

If you go: The pantry is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays.

Marian University

Marian’s food pantry, called Knightro’s Pantry, is located in Clare Hall and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There’s no limit to the number of items a student can choose, according to the website.

If you go: Shop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m in Clare Hall. For more information, email jmayo1@marian.edu.

UIndy

UIndy’s food pantry is open to students, staff and faculty at the University of Indianapolis.

Students should make an appointment online to shop at the food pantry, located inside the campus chapel, at their assigned time.

The pantry offers non-perishable food on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you go: Make an appointment online using this Google form. The pantry is located inside University Height United Methodist Church, 4002 Otterbein Ave., Door 1.

This story may be updated with additional information and resources.

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.

Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.

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Indianapolis, IN

Anti-war protest sparks in Indianapolis amid US-Iran conflict

Published

6 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Anti-war protest sparks in Indianapolis amid US-Iran conflict

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – More than a dozen protesters gathered at Military Park. In a dramatic escalation, the US and Israel engaged in military strikes against Iran and protesters are upset, including veteran Lucas Lee.

“I know what it’s like to be on the edge, potentially going somewhere where your life is at risk. And I believe this war is something we shouldn’t be fighting in. It’s important to stand up, because not only is standing up the right thing to do, but it could potentially save lives.”

Protesters held signs that read ‘Hands off Iran’ in front of the corner of West and New York intersection.
Several cars honked in support. Democratic City County Councilor Jesse Brown attended as well.

IPS School Teacher Noah Leininger organized the Anti-Iran War Rally. “The United States spends 1 trillion dollars on war every single year. While there are massive unmet needs right here in our own communities. People need jobs, healthcare, housing, and schools. And instead our government spends a trillion dollars every year to go and bomb elementary school age girls,” he said.

Iranian officials say the U.S. and Isreal hit a girl’s primary school in southern Iran killing at least 115 people.

The US strikes have not only created tension in the Middle East, but also here at home.
Mark Oakley who supports military action Iran, confronted the anti-war protesters. “Freedom for Iranian people, freedom for Americans. Freedom for everybody, but this [protest] is not it. When you’re debating about innocent people getting killed. You are debating the wrong thing.”

Additional police were called in to de-escalate the situation.

Chris Gomez, attended the protest because he wanted to take action. “Trump ran on a platform called the party of peace. That’s what Republicans run their policy on a party of peace, but look where we are now.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis Opera’s free concert spotlights influential Black composers

Published

18 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Indianapolis Opera’s free concert spotlights influential Black composers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Opera will host a free concert in honor of Black History Month Saturday night at 6 p.m. to celebrate the legacy and artistry of Black composers. The event features a range of spirituals, contemporary art songs, and operatic works performed a cappella.

Lyndsay Moy, the director of education, outreach, branding and design for Indianapolis Opera, said the event is designed to keep this specific music accessible to the public.

Resident artist Ian Williams, describes the concert as a mix of traditional repertoire and new songs. The artists will perform without microphones or instrumental accompaniment. “All of this is just straight out of our voices, so there’s no microphones,” Williams said. “We’re just creating the sound ourselves and putting it into a space, so it’s a little bit of, a little bit of breathing, a little bit of extra work there, yes.”

“So many composers tonight have been so influential in the broader vocal canon and it’s important and wonderful for us to be able to offer this kind of concert for free to our community to keep this kind of music accessible and more importantly to feature these fabulous artists like Ian so much talent,” Moy said.

Williams noted that the concert allows the organization to celebrate classic composers who were not well known during their own time. “It’s very cool because we get to celebrate some of classic composers all the way back to William Grant Steele, who was one of the who wrote operas back in the day, even during the time of Porgy and Bess, but he wasn’t, it wasn’t well known,” Williams said.

One of the featured pieces is the traditional spiritual “Fix Me Jesus,” which was arranged for the University of Michigan choir. Williams said the arrangement by Stacey Gibbs maintains the traditional spiritual style while adding rich harmonies.

While formal tickets for the event are currently sold out, those interested in attending can email tickets@indyopera.org to be added to a waitlist.

Check out the video above to hear a sneak peak of the Indianapolis Opera!

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