Penn State students seeking a traditional Passover meal this year will find many options, both on and off campus.

For students who prefer to eat on campus, Housing and Food Services is serving a kosher-style buffet in McElwain Hall, said Lisa Wandel, Housing and Food Services' assistant director.

The buffet will feature various items, including matzoh, gefilte fish, macaroons, baked potatoes, cereals, and many other kosher foods, Wandel said. All other dining commons will serve hard-boiled eggs, fruit, and matzoh, but not enough food for an entire meal, she said.

"By holding the buffet in one dining commons, we can offer more of a selection," Wandel added.

However, the kitchens are not authorized for kosher cooking; the buffet is not for students maintaining a strict kosher diet, she said.

In the past 10 years, the Passover foods program has drastically changed, Wandel said. Originally, students were given kosher TV dinners upon request, she said. After this, kosher buffets were offered in all commons, but participation was low and food had to be thrown out, Wandel said.

"We felt (the current program) would appeal to a larger number of students — it seems, for the past few years, that people have been pleased with this," she said.

Housing and Food Services is always looking to improve the program, and it relies on its student staff aids to give suggestions and tips about kosher food preparations, Wandel said, adding that she also is interested in hearing feedback from other students.

If students prefer to do their own cooking, local grocery stores such as Giant Food Store, 255 Northland Center, are an excellent places to look for passover food, said Bill Hefferan, assistant store manager.

Hefferan's store has had a large display of kosher foods for the past two months, though some foods are starting to run low on supply, Hefferan said. Some of the foods the store carries include gefilte fish, various wines and cookies, matzoh meal and white fish, he said.

The amount of kosher foods available at the store has drastically grown over the past seven years, as everything sells well and is in high demand, Hefferan said.

"This is the best year I've ever had. I had almost everything you could think of, at one time," he added.

Sales have also increased over the years, which is why there is such a wide selection of foods, Hefferan said. Penn State students create much of the demand, and the store is always looking for suggestions on how it can improve its stock, he added.

Penn State students seem fairly positive about the availability of foods in State College.

The ads for the Passover meals in McElwain are posted everywhere, and this offers students a good option, said Adam Travis (senior-geography).

"I'm not super-religious, but I like to eat kosher during Passover," he said.