Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas – STC’s Campus Student Food Pantry has received $10,000 in food reimbursements from the South Texas Food Bank (STFB) to support students in Starr County.
The funds were made possible through two grants including the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) grant by FEMA and the American Rescue Plan approved by Congress in 2021 that covers 75% of the college’s shared maintenance fee with the food bank.
Funds will cover the cost whenever STC orders the food from STFB, which is the college’s supplier in Starr County. The grant is slated to run until April 2023.
“Managing food pantries at our Pecan, Mid-Valley and Starr campuses is part of a vital mission to keep the students engaged and involved at South Texas College,” said STC President Dr. Ricardo J. Solis. “Food pantries are just one way we support them while keeping them enrolled so they graduate. Leadership at STC will do everything in its power to alleviate concerns and issues they may have while having them continue with their classes. The last thing they should have to worry about is something like food.”
According to a recent Hope Survey, 38% of college students at two year colleges experienced food insecurity. The problem has worsened in the wake of a pandemic.
South Texas College’s food pantry sole purpose remains to supply 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 Weslaco 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 with a poverty rate of 32.5 percent—one of the highest in the state.
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.
The STC food pantry at Starr County assisted 66 families in April alone, according to organizers.
“Our main goal is to ensure students do not to go hungry,” said Elizabeth Lopez, coordinator of Student Activities and Events at Starr County, which is also in charge of managing the student pantry. “We prioritize that they (students) do well academically but how can they do that if they’re hungry?”
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 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.
“We know there is a huge need for food here and we see that when students share the number of family members in their house and when they share their income…you can just feel the need,” Lopez said. “We know that what they are getting out of the Student Food Pantry is really helping them out though.”
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.
Lopez 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.
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.
