Reporter
Discarded orange peels fill the trash cans in close proximity to the Food Pantry on CSU Bakersfield’s main campus.
This can be seen as the start of a fresh approach taken by the Food Pantry to provide even more options to students who wish to utilize the service.
Food Pantry coordinator, Kassandra Hernandez said the vendors from the Haggin Oaks farmers market, donated the produce for the food pantry.
The new Produce Pantry will be on campus every Monday morning, as an extension to the existing pantry.
Hernandez spoke of the positive response from students regarding the new “Produce Pantry.”
“In just three hours, all the produce had been collected by students.”
The Produce Pantry, like the Food Pantry itself, has taken a lot of effort to be open today. To understand this, a history of the Food Pantry must be known.
Hernandez said, “In 2013 an economics professor and one of his graduate students conducted a survey where 800 people responded. They found that 40 percent of students, staff, and faculty identified as being ‘food insecure,’ meaning that they didn’t have access to food in general.”
Then, a few years later, came a response to these statistics.
“In 2016, Dr. Wallace, Vice President from the Student Affairs Office, founded the Basic Needs Committee, a food and housing security committee organized and maintained by select students, faculty, and staff,” Hernandez said.
From this committee there came the idea for the Food Pantry.
“In 2017 I came in as a CSU STEM VISTA member and started the Food Pantry in September,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez attributes the on-campus relationships with everyone to helping support and maintain the Food Pantry.
Before using the pantry’s service, first-time students must fill out a form providing basic information. After first-time students complete their form, they are in the system, and then they can pick their 16 points weekly worth of pantry goods.
Shawnee Villarreal, senior majoring psychology, said, “I fully support the concept, and hope that it grows and becomes as popular as the Food Pantry. I think our community and region lends itself to such services.”
Drew Raney, senior, majoring in kinesiology, spoke of the benefit of the Produce Pantry for students’ well-being.
“The importance of fresh, healthy produce as an addition to other great options provided by the Food Pantry should help promote vitality. Not only is produce nutrient dense, it’s going to provide steady energy without the sugar crash of a soda or candy bar,” said Raney.
Raney said it would also be a huge benefit to students who don’t buy fresh produce because of high prices.
“Often times students may be dissuaded from buying produce because of the extra cost, but allowing our student body to access these nutritious options is a great step in the right direction to having a healthy student population,” said Raney.
Produce donations to the Food Pantry are done at the Haggin Oaks farmers market on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Any other donation arrangements can be made by contacting Kassandra Hernandez.
