Delta offers resources in times of hunger

Gas and groceries consume a large portion of income of students and families. There are many resources available on and off campus to help alleviate the high cost of groceries for those in need. Delta College also has various programs hosting events for students to look forward to for a meal on campus or free groceries coming up.

A recent event was At The Market with Basic Needs Center on Oct. 22 where students could visit booths to fill out their stamp card while collecting fresh produce and information about community programs. After completing a stamp card, students were able to pick up a free meal consisting of aguas frescas and burritos.

Director of Student Life, Dr. Ricky Gutierrez-Maldonado, shared some upcoming events to be on the lookout for from the Associated Students of Delta College (ASDC).

“We will be hosting the annual FriendsGiving event later this month. Thank you to Active Minds and the faculty advisors of that club that started this amazing tradition. We are happy to follow in their footsteps,” Said Gutierrez-Madonado.

Invites for FriendsGiving will be sent out to learning communities and various centers on campus so they can invite their students. ASDC will be partnering with Professor Andrew Griggs and the Culinary Arts Program to provide the food.

Mobile Fresh is a grocery haul event hosted by the Food Pantry on the fourth Wednesday of every month in the Shima  2 parking lot from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on a first-come-first-serve basis. Students must bring their Student ID card to get groceries. Follow the Food Pantry on Instagram @sjdcfoodpantry to stay up to date on events and extra giveaways.

Also be on the lookout for upcoming information for this year’s Holiday Meal Giveaway that will be later this month.

Delta’s Student Food Pantry launched its fundraiser “Fueling Futures: Every Dollar Feeds a Mustang!” On Nov.1 and will run through Dec. 31.

“Our goal is to raise $5,000 to ensure no student goes hungry and everyone has access to nutritious food,” said Valerie Valera, student programs assistant for the Student Food Pantry. “The pantry currently serves over 600 students each week, and this fundraiser will help us meet the increasing demand.”

Several ways students, staff, and the community can participate are through monetary donations, food donations, and wish list donations on Amazon and Walmart. The wish lists highlight high-demand items including non-perishable snacks, hygiene products, and pantry staples.

Links for monetary donations and online wish lists can be found here:

• Online donations using the secure PayBee Donation Page
• Amazon Wish List 
• Walmart Wish List

Non-perishable food item donations can be dropped at on-campus donation bins found in the following locations:

• Delta Connect Center
• Math and Science Tutoring Center
• Dreamers Success Center
• First Floor Library
• Bookstore

Direct drop-offs can be delivered to the Office of Student Life in Shima 101C or the Student Food Pantry in Shima 101.

Every donation helps to reach goal and goes towards making sure Delta students have access to food.

Additional food resources for those in need are available through the Basic Needs Center. The center is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students are encouraged to make an appointment with Basic Need Student Program Specialist Jaime Merlan at https://calendly.com/jaime-merlan/

Basic Needs also provided a food resource list from Community Connections for food pick-up locations outside of campus by area that lists where they can be found and what is needed for eligibility at each location. The Community Connections link is: https://communityconnectionssjc.org/services/details/Emergency-Food/

All programs and events in this article are to help provide students and their families with opportunities to keep food on their table.