Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas – Between work, classes, and family obligations, students have a lot on their plate this holiday. The last thing they need is added stress about where they’re getting their next meal.
In the spirit of the season, South Texas College’s food pantry has returned with a purpose: supplying food to the students and families who need it most. The initiative gives students the opportunity to receive a college education and have food in their refrigerator, without sacrificing one for the other.
South Texas College’s Pecan Campus in McAllen and Mid Valley Campus in Rio Grande City are both located in Hidalgo County, which holds a poverty rate of 26.9 percent. Meanwhile, Starr County Campus in Rio Grande City resides in a county clocking a poverty rate of 32.5 percent—one of the highest in the state.
“It has been a tough year for our students,” explains Student Activities Specialist Chantal Lopez. “We have been serving about 150 families a month since the pandemic started.”
The pandemic accentuated the food pantry’s value, as students faced with unemployment, housing concerns, and less opportunities for work struggled to meet basic needs.
“At the start of the pandemic, we really wanted to make sure that students were aware that there was a service available to them,” Lopez explains. “Once word got out, there was a real spike in the number of students reaching out and seeking assistance, some who are still receiving assistance today.”
Since 2017, the pantry has helped provide eligible students with food items such as canned vegetables, canned fruit, rice, beans, flour, oil and other essential items. Eligible students can pick up food from the pantry two days out of the week to stock what they need for themselves and their families.
The pantry’s benefits don’t stop at food. Additional resources to help students thrive in their education are also available across the Pecan, Mid Valley, and Starr campuses, such as counseling services and career and employer services.
According to a study completed by public researchers at John Hopkins University, students who experience food insecurity are 43 percent less likely to graduate from a two- or four-year program when compared to their food secure classmates. And students who experience food insecurity are more likely to earn a lower grade point average.
“Many times, coming to school means [students] have to sacrifice hours of work which, in turn, can limit the amount of food their families can buy,” says Tyrone Marshall, Coordinator of Student Activities and Events on STC’s Mid Valley Campus. “They’re investing more money in their education and have to give up other things as a result.”
Marshall says the food pantry not only aims to help students find their next meal but promotes awareness of student hunger in an effort to achieve system-wide change.
Rather than physical food donations, the food pantry exclusively accepts monetary contributions. This allows for a more diverse range of food selections for students, plus added opportunity for community support. This year, the Starr Campus food pantry was awarded more than $5,000 in grants, which helped cover the cost of 75 percent of the food provided for 2021.
According to Jennifer Guerra, department chair for the Pecan Campus Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management Program, the food pantry benefits every student involved. Her department’s third-annual Thanks-for-Giving virtual bake sale this year sold dozens of cookies, muffins, and pastries to support the food pantries across STC’s campuses.
“Not only did the event raise over $3,000 to support the student food pantries on our STC campuses, but [it] also gave our students experience with quality bakeshop production,” says Guerra. “We love to see the excitement and satisfaction of a job well done when the students realize what they have accomplished.”
Kinesiology instructor Brenda Ayala says this was the first year that the Turkey Trot accepted monetary donations as an entry fee from participants in the race. In the past, participants donated canned goods to be given to the Rio Grande Valley Food Bank. This year, monetary contributions towards the STC food pantries gained students access to the 2.2-mile run/walk. Ayala says this year’s change was “a great success.”
“The Kinesiology department decided to make this change,” explains Ayala. “There’s a need for support within our students and within the college due to the pandemic.”
This sense of community is at the heart of what makes South Texas College so special, according to Guerra.
“We made a point of recognizing that food insecurity exists on our campuses, just like it exists on most campuses around the country, and there’s no shame in that,” says the Specialist. “As a college community, we have the opportunity and resources to support our students.
“The way we come together to support and love our students is just one of many things that makes South Texas College a great school.”
Students can begin the anonymous process and receive information about the food pantry here. Meanwhile, food pantries across the Mid Valley, Pecan, and Starr campuses continue to accept donations through the STC Marketplace website.
