Students receive critical resources from mobile food pantry
More than 100 people received fresh produce, canned goods and more during a recent mobile food pantry visit to Citrus College.
For a fee of $150, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank brought their mobile food pantry to the college's Campus Center Mall from 1-3 p.m. on March 7. Citrus College employees and student volunteers helped distribute a variety of nutritional items to those in need. At the same time, a representative from the state's CalFresh program was on hand to provide details on how students could receive additional assistance.
"Food is a basic need that no one should be without, and it is important that we provide these critical resources to the members of our community who may not have adequate nutrition," said Dunia Valladares, basic needs coordinator. "Anyone in need can come to the mobile food pantry and receive assistance. The food bank only requires attendees to provide the number of individuals in their household, which is kept anonymous."
Citrus College's relationship with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank began in May 2017. Since that time, more than 100,000 pounds of food have been distributed to individuals experiencing food insecurity.
However, the outbreak of COVID-19 led to a decrease in mobile food pantry visits. In fact, it has only been to campus two times since the pandemic began. As an alternative, the Citrus College Student Life and Leadership Development program began offering a grocery gift card grant. Students have been able to apply for the grant, which is still available this spring, to receive a $100 gift card for purchasing groceries.
The mobile food pantry was on campus on April 4, and it will return on Monday, May 2, from 1-3 p.m. in the Campus Center Mall.
"The mobile food pantry's presence on campus comes at a time when food prices are increasing and many are still struggling to recover from the pandemic's impact on the economy," said Superintendent/President Schulz. "Hunger on college campuses is a growing concern. This is one of the many reasons Citrus College hosts the mobile food pantry. We want all of our students to know that we will do whatever we can to help remove barriers that may prevent them from reaching their academic goals."
This article originally appeared in the April 2022 edition of the Citrus View.