Penn State Altoona has announced a $2.7 million gift from Steve and Nancy Sheetz in support of scholarships and other assistance for students facing financial emergencies.

The gift will create a $1.7 million endowment for the Sheetz Fellows Program, which was launched in 2009 and offers mentorship, special programming, and financial support to students ready to lead and serve the local community and beyond. The remaining $1 million will be split between two endowments for students facing critical and urgent needs — Penn State Altoona's first emergency assistance fund for undergraduates facing financial crises that could delay or derail their progress toward a degree, and a fund for the campus organization Ivyside Eats, which is working to address the growing food-insecurity crisis among Penn State Altoona students.

A Penn State alumnus who began his studies on the Altoona campus, Steve Sheetz is chairman of the board of Sheetz Inc., a family-owned-and-operated convenience store chain. The couple's nearly $15 million in total support for Penn State has funded the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, several scholarships, and programming at the center and Altoona campus.

"Nan and I are grateful for all that this region and Penn State have done to support our success, and we are glad to help today's and tomorrow's students achieve their own ambitions and build careers, businesses, and lives in the Altoona area," said Sheetz. "No Penn State Altoona student should go hungry or face financial hardship alone, and every Penn State Altoona student should have the opportunity to fulfill their potential for leadership. We all benefit when young people in our region earn their degrees and find their own ways to give back."

(Photo credit: Penn State Altoona)