Students who are approved for assistance from the CalFresh program can benefit from the Hungry Wildcats Food Drive, which is on the third floor of the Student Services Center.
The Hungry Wildcats Food Drive at Chico State is providing food for students in need.
The food drive, which was presented to the Academic Senate Oct. 17, provides needy students who have been approved by state officials with food. Before students can receive assistance, they must qualify under guidelines set forth by the CalFresh Program, which is the California chapter of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The program has acquired food and established partnerships with campus organizations, according to a university announcement. The food drive was prompted by faculty and staff, who have noticed an increasing number of students who do not have access to a sufficient amount of healthy food.
The program is looking for student volunteers to gather food, set up partnerships and keep the program running for support, she wrote.
The food drive is not intended to be a primary source of food for students, according to the announcement. Rather, it’s meant to be a temporary solution to help students through periods of unforeseen financial difficulty. The program has established drop boxes for faculty to donate food, along with outreach groups to help students get the aid they need.
The program is working with the CalFresh outreach program at Chico State, said Jenny Breed, a health education specialist at the Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion. Interested students can report to the Office of Student Affairs or the Accessibility Resource Center to see if they qualify for the program.
“These students really need all the support they can get,” Breed said. “It helps them keep their smarts.”
Nathan Lehmann can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.
