On Sept. 9, the Associated Students of Delta College (ASDC) will host a training event for those who would like to participate in distributing food to Delta students for this semester’s Food Pantry.
“The Food Pantry is where students with low income can get free meals and groceries,” said Hannah Washington, student coordinator. “But it’s not exclusively for students with low income; this pantry is open to any Delta student.”
The Food Pantry has been providing students with free food since 2012.
According to the ASDC’s vision statement on deltacollege.edu, the organization’s mission is to “Ensure no student goes hungry because lack of income or access to food.”
There are three services the ASDC will be providing for Delta students this semester.
One is the free grocery service, where a free bag of groceries is distributed to a selected number of students once a month.
“Once a month, the ASDC distributes a limited number of grocery bags to Delta students,” according to the ASDC page on the Delta Colleg website.
ASDC also offers something called Food 4 Thought, where students with valid Mustang Passes are able to enjoy a free meal every Tuesday.
Training for volunteers will be held today from from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.. Volunteers will be trained on basic customer service techniques.
“What we really want to emphasize to our volunteers is for them to make these students feel welcome,” said Washington., “Some of the students receiving this food are going through tough times and we want our volunteers to help brighten up their day.”
Volunteers will need to provide a class schedule and times available.
The ASDC also believes no one should have to settle for an empty stomach or fast food during the holidays; for they offer meals during Thanksgiving and Christmas, consisting of traditional holiday foods like ham and turkey.
“In order to provide this food for students,” said Washington, “donations are needed. So in the process of making this happen, we spend some time is spent at grocery stores, asking for donations.”
Donations can also be delivered to Shima 101B.
A donation of $25 will go towards a large ham, which should serve between four to five people, according to ASDC’s page.
A $50 donation will go towards a full meal, which will include not only a full ham or turkey but other things like stuffing and mashed potatoes as well.
“A fair amount of students consistently attend the food pantry,” said Washington, “And we want everyone to feel welcome.”