Southwest Texas Junior College food pantry supporting students during giving season

UVALDE – It’s the season of giving and a few school college students in Uvalde are hoping to encourage others to do the identical.

For them, it’s so simple as offering a meal to their fellow college students.

The cabinets are stocked on the Southwest Texas Junior School meals pantry.

“They’ll seize three cans of greens, one factor of peanut butter, or often we have now jelly, factor of rice, tuna. Actually, no matter it’s they’re in search of,” Ryan Alldritt, advisor for Phi Theta Kappa stated.

Whereas the pantry has been round since 2017, the COVID-19 pandemic has made a big effect.

“We noticed a very huge lower in donations being made. In order a previous Phi Theta Kappa venture right here, we determined that it could in all probability be a good suggestion to attempt to revamp,” Landon Haynes, Phi Theta Kappa president, stated.

Haynes has been going to the junior school full-time for a yr. She’s president of the school’s honor society Phi Theta Kappa.

She took on the problem to revive the pantry.

“They could want that little bit of additional help simply to make it a little bit bit simpler having to pay for faculty and assist with households,” Haynes stated.

It advantages the scholars on campus — every semester they’ll seize from the pantry six instances.

Proper now, the necessity is larger than ever.

“Half to two-thirds of our pupil physique is low earnings. So that they’re making 150% or lower than the poverty line,” Alldritt stated.

Purple donation buckets are scattered all through campus. They accumulate donations for the meals pantry and have an inventory of things the pantry is needing. However there are different methods you possibly can donate monetarily.

“We even have the contribute button on the web site the place you possibly can go to designate that you simply need to donate to the meals pantry particularly,” Philip Hadley, advertising coordinator, recruitment and engagement for SWTJC stated.

They’re additionally implementing a program the place college students can spherical up their totals on the college cafeteria to donate to the pantry.

Haynes’ mission has reached native companies just like the Uvalde College of Gymnastics and picked up and donated 200 nonperishable meals objects.

“It’s simply a great way for all of us to be concerned and make a distinction right here in the neighborhood,” Kim Knape, proprietor of USG stated.

Haynes hopes the continued consciousness helps preserve these cabinets full for the scholars who want them.

“Maintain it stocked up, preserve it organized, and preserve the notice being unfold about it being right here,” she stated.