Centers partner to provide food relief to students in need

Pacific University’s food share program “Food for All” is running low on food that students are in need of. The Center for a Sustainable Society (CSS) is partnering with the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) to have a fundraising campaign called “Stock the Share,” in order to reduce the share’s food shortage. This food campaign is running from Oct. 8 to Nov. 2.

All students, staff and faculty will still be able to obtain free food and other products from the food share program during and after the campaign ends.

The “Stock the Share” campaign hopes to fully restock the food share’s inventory through donations of non-perishable food.

According to the director of CSS, Michelle Larkins, the “Stock the Share” campaign is being held because the food share does not have a budget for food. All the food that is supplied by the food share comes solely from donations.

“We hope our donations will be able to carry us through January term and into spring,” Larkins said.

All excess donations will be donated to the Forest Grove United Church of Christ’s Temporary Emergency Shelter.

According to Ruth Gomez, the director of the “Food for All” program, the food share’s inventory is improving thanks to recent donations for the campaign. Donations such as Aramark’s sandwiches and frozen meals have been helpful in restocking the program. Before the campaign, volunteers would have to buy food themselves whenever the stock got low.

“So far, we’ve received some pretty awesome donations that the students have loved,” Gomez said.

This is the “Food for All” food share program’s third year providing sustainable access to food for Pacific University’s students, staff and faculty at risk of food insecurity. Gomez hopes for the program to continue easing the food insecurity on campus, and one day find a more concrete solution.