LINCOLN – Citing studies that indicate that one in four community college students is “food insecure,” Community College of Rhode Island officials opened a food pantry Monday at CCRI’s Lincoln campus to provide food and other products to its students.
The pantry will be operated by CCRI student and staff volunteers five days a week, and deliveries will be made to other CCRI campuses.
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Students using the food pantry only will be asked for a student ID to ensure they are enrolled at CCRI.
The school said the pantry is being financed by private donations and will be stocked with the help of student- and faculty-led food drives. The school did not immediately detail the costs of operating the pantry.
A CCRI news release identified Amica CEO Robert A. DiMuccio and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island CEO Kim Keck as donors.
“We cannot effective serve our students if we don’t recognize and address the barriers they face outside the classroom,” CCRI President Meghan Hughes said in a statement. “We are knocking down one of those barriers with the official opening of CCRI’s food pantry.”
CCRI pointed to several studies highlighting the high rate of “food insecurity” among community college students, meaning those without reliable access to affordable, nutritious food.
According to a study by the Wisconsin Hope Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 27 percent of community college students surveyed nationally in 2017 said they had “very low” food security. Another 15 percent said they had “low” food security.
“It’s impossible to be successful at anything if you are hungry and wondering about where your next meal is coming from,” Keck said in a statement. “Phil [Keck, her husband] and I felt very strongly about supporting the food pantry, an initiative we know will make a difference in the lives of CCRI students and their families. This is the kind of investment that yields short and long-term returns.”
The pantry will offer nonperishable food and some household and personal hygiene products.
William Hamilton is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Hamilton@PBN.com.
