The MSU College of Social Science Office of Institutional Access (OIA) is currently accepting donations to its ThriveSpace Essentials Corner for the 2026-27 school year. The Essentials Corner was established in spring of 2026 and is designed to ensure that all students have access to food and personal care items that support their wellbeing and academic success. Located in the alcove near the first-floor elevators in Berkey Hall, The ThriveSpace Essentials Corner serves as a visible, welcoming space that ensures no student’s basic needs stand in the way of academic success.
“The ThriveSpace Essentials Corner grew out of a simple but fundamental belief: students should not have to choose between meeting their basic needs and pursuing their education,” said Nwando Achebe, Associate Dean for Access, Faculty Development and Strategic Implementation. “A student who is hungry, worried about affording personal-care items, or unprepared for a Michigan winter is carrying burdens that inevitably follow them into the classroom. Our responsibility is to remove those barriers wherever we can—and to do so in a way that affirms dignity, belonging, and care.”
The ThriveSpace Essentials Corner offers food and personal hygiene items for all students, with a broader aim of supporting students facing hunger or financial hardship and reducing food insecurity. In addition to a variety of snack options, the Essentials Corner stocks a wide range of other products designed to meet students’ diverse needs—from wellness kits and menstrual products to mental-health resources, winter hats and gloves, and emergency care items.
To expand this essential work, the OIA is proudly partnering with the MSU FAME program for this year's drive. FAME serves as a crucial resource center for MSU students who have experienced foster care, kinship care, legal guardianship, or homelessness. By combining resources, this year's supply drive will stock both the ThriveSpace Essentials Corner and the FAME Care Closet, ensuring students across the College of Social Science have access to essential items.
Students across the College of Social Science and beyond have benefitted from the Essentials Corner since its inception, as evidenced by comments provided in an end-of-year survey. The ThriveSpace Essentials Corner supports overall OIA’s mission of designing a continuum of access and success that redefines student achievement through belonging, equity, and holistic support. It will continue to provide a space where care meets community, and where students access the essential resources necessary to be nourished in both body and mind.
“ThriveSpace is about more than providing necessities; it is about creating the conditions in which every student has a genuine opportunity to flourish,” Achebe added. “Through our partnership with FAME and the generosity of our College community, we are building a culture in which students know that they matter, that they belong, and that their success matters to all of us.”
We invite our community to join us in supporting students by donating much needed snacks, personal care items, winter clothing and school supplies. Whether through dropping specifically needed items off, ordering through our Amazon Wish List, or making a monetary donation, we appreciate your support in helping College of Social Science students thrive at MSU. We also want to thank those who have already contributed to our drive and encourage others in the College to consider helping to ensure we are able to replenish our items and support our students this semester.
Please see below for more details:
Most Needed Items:
Snacks: Individually packaged: granola bars, trail mix, apple sauce pouches, meat sticks, chips, etc.
Personal Care: laundry detergent pods, travel size: deodorant, shampoo & conditioner, lotion, bodywash, toothpaste
School Supplies: Notebooks, pens, mechanical pencils, and Post-it notes
Winter Clothing: socks, warm hats, gloves
How your department/program can help:
Drop off needed care items: Bring snacks, personal care items and school supplies to The Office of Institutional Access Office (Berkey Hall Room 442) 8am-4pm Monday through Friday.
Shop Online: Use our Amazon Wish List for direct shipping of care items to our office
Donate funds directly to ThriveSpace Account to help us purchase necessary items
The drive will continue through the 2026-27 academic year, in hopes to help our office replenish items that are used by students. Every contribution helps to create a more supportive and inclusive environment for our students.