PBSC READIES EXPANDED PANTRY FOR STUDENTS
On Tuesday, Palm Beach State College is opening an expanded food pantry to help students who are struggling financially.
“Our students are disproportionately affected by the economy,” said Jeannie Hoban, director of the college’s student counseling center. “We hope by doing this ... we can support our students and help them to be successful in college and not let these things get in their way.”
Panther’s Pantry will be moving from a small office into a larger, former dietary classroom on the suburban Lake Worth campus. It now offers more basic needs items for all currently enrolled students, including canned food, boxed lunches, notebooks, snacks and personal hygiene items at no cost.
Students may take up to 10 pounds of items each week. Hoban said the center normally helps about 30 students each month.
“We want to be able to offer more food to students and make it more accessible,” she said. “We’re also trying to create a space that reduces the stigma, so hopefully it’ll have a general store feel.”
The pantry officially opens with a reception Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m. September is World Hunger Action Month. Normal hours will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition to the main pantry, all other PBSC campuses will have pantry cabinets available later in the fall.
“We’ve been doing this since 2015 ... very informally, not well-marketed and just kind of word of mouth with donations from students, student organizations and faculty,” Hoban said. “Since we’re not a food bank for the community, students need their ID to swipe in.”
In 2017, the school received a $45,000 donation from Bank of America, which was used for the expansion of the pantry. The money was also used toward Panther’s Closet, a student-run thrift store that opened in 2017 on the suburban Lake Worth campus.
“Partnering with Palm Beach State College to support the Panther’s Closet and (the food) Pantry with the lead gift has been very exciting,” Stephanie Glavin, local market manager for Bank of America, said in a statement. “The program is unique in the sense that it provides students with access to basic needs and a hands-on opportunity to use the service-learning based coursework to learn how to run a social enterprise. The project was important for us to support, as we have a shared mission of advancing economic mobility and building thriving communities.”
When the pantry needs to be restocked, some of the food will come from donations from the Palm Beach County Food Bank, Feeding South Florida and the College and University Food Bank Alliance.
“Now the new facility will get so much more visibility,” Hoban said.