Delta offers programs and resources to students who need support. Resources for mental health, career guidance, basic needs and more.
Being a full-time student isn’t easy, especially if you work part-time. As a student, trying to grocery shop for yourself is difficult with inflation. The pantry offers students food, hygiene products and sometimes clothing.
The student food pantry is available to all students, as long as they are enrolled at Delta. Students can apply online and don’t need to meet certain requirements. No gimmicks. However, you must reapply every academic year to have access. For example; if you apply in the fall, you don’t have to reapply in the spring.
The food pantry works through a point system. Students have a total of 100 points each semester, but can only use 16 points each week.
“Me personally, I always tell people about it because it’s a really good program,” said Delta student Lishe’a Wilkerson, also known as Queen Rajah. “And just with the food discrepancy in Stockton is crazy… If people knew about it, it would save money and time.”
Valerie Valera is the acting student programs assistant for the food pantry. Her role oversees the volume of food and students, as well as who and what comes in and goes out.
Valera mentions the struggle of the large student volume and keeping the shelves fully stocked.
“We do have a monthly budget that we can’t exceed. Our busiest days are Tuesdays, we normally get over 200 students on Tuesdays alone… We get majority of our stuff from Second Harvest because we have a grant with them and we get deliveries every other week. We would get fully stocked, however, due to the influx of students it’s not nearly enough. We’re trying to get sponsors to keep the food pantry running. It can be a little overwhelming, however, it just proves that a lot of students have food insecurity and how essential the food pantry on campus is.”
When asked about her opinion on Delta promoting the food pantry more, Valera doesn’t think that’s the problem.
“We do get a lot of students in here, so I feel like students are aware of the pantry. It’s funny because I feel like mostly the faculty, professors and some of the programs aren’t aware of us.”
The spring hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Shima 101. The last day the pantry will be open is May 16, 2024. It will be back open in the fall.