Every year CalFresh and the Basic Needs Center come together to host a CalFresh Outreach Week to promote the program.
The Basic Needs Center tries to host the three-day event almost every semester. This year the events were from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23.
On Feb. 21 the programs held a “CalFresh pop-up” in the quad. On Feb. 22 was the “CalFresh Kahoot and Luncheon” in Danner 202, and on Feb. 23 a plant demo was held in front of the food pantry.
In the plant demo, students were given a cup with soil to plant seeds inside.
The students had a variety of vegetables/fruit of their choice, selected to be easy to grow indoors.
“We want students to know it is not hard to garden. The seeds we are using for the plant demo are easily found in Home Depot for those students who like it. We also have chosen plants that are low maintenance so it can be easy for the students to plant it,” said Ramon Navarro, a student assistant at Delta’s Basic Needs Center.
Some of these choices include tomato, parsley, kale, cilantro, spinach and watermelon.
Informative packets on how the CalFresh Program works were also handed out to encourage students to take more advantage of this program because it works with the Basic Needs Center.
“I picked spinach because I eat a lot of spinach. I think it is easy to plant this seed indoors because I do not have a lot of space in my garden. I have been aware of the CalFresh program for a while now since I have been in Delta and I think it has helped a lot with my family needs,” said third year student Jose Davila.
This is the second time the basic needs center has hosted the plant demo for their Outreach Week. The first time was in Spring 2021.
Navarro said a reason why many students do not apply for the program is because they receive financial aid; however, that does not stop the program from taking applications.
“There is never a reason why students do not qualify for the program. Financial aid does not stop you from being eligible to qualify for the program,” said Navarro.
Students can get EBT cards (Electronic Benefits Transfer) with CalFresh. The federal program is for groceries shopping and can be used in retailers stores like Amazon, Walmart, and Safeway.
“Few of the reasons I think it’s important to promote CalFresh are because not a lot of students apply for it or know if they will be eligible for it. We also want to bring awareness to the students. This is why we chose to do the plant demo in front of the Food Pantry,” said Alexandra Cruz, a CalFresh Ambassador who helps students with their applications.
The Basic Needs Center services provide: food laundry service, food assistance like calFresh and student food pantry. Also is in charge of handing out hygiene items, school supplies and books. Provide crisis counseling/behavioral health services, and Delta College Center for physical, mental and dental care for students.
