Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
The South Texas College Foundation recently presented the college’s student food pantry, led by the college’s Student Activities and Wellness department, with $10,000 to help support and expand the initiative of fighting student food insecurity.
STC’s food pantries are located at the college’s Pecan, Mid-Valley and Starr County campuses, but serve every student across STC’s six campuses.
“It is the foundation’s honor to be supporting an initiative that impacts so many of our students,” said STC Foundation Chair Bonnie Gonzalez. “We are committed to continuing to support and raise the funds necessary to move our students forward. And through our partnership with the RGV Food Bank and South Texas Food Bank, we can all leverage resources we need to better serve our college community. Students should not go hungry.”
The funds will go toward purchasing refrigerators and freezers to store healthy, perishable food items, for students and their families, an addition to the nonperishable food items already offered. The funds will also help STC expand its student food pantries into the college’s Technology and Nursing and Allied campuses.
An internal study last year, showed that 44% of STC students experience food insecurity and 11% experience homelessness.
Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Matthew Hebbard, Ph.D., said last year, the STC Student Food Pantry, helped more than 10,000 students and their family members with food and other necessities.
“Food is a basic need that many of our students are not getting. Our students are here to get an education and lift their families up, so they need to focus and concentrate on their classes, not where their next meal is coming from,” said Hebbard. “The folks leading our pantries are doing a wonderful job in providing our students with what they need, and now with the generosity of our Foundation, we can help even more students.”
Elibariki Nguma, STC director of Student Activities and Wellness, mirrors Hebbard’s sentiment and said his department is all about student retention and engagement, and STC’s food pantries are one way STC is giving back to its campus community.
“At STC, we aim for student success, always,” he said. “Our food pantries help students solely focus on their studies…and if they’re focused, they not only stay in school, but they are motivated and encouraged to complete their programs. These funds are going to go a long way in helping continue and expand our services.”
STC President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D., said no student should feel like college is out of reach because of life circumstances, which is why, this donation is momentous.
“Our foundation is critical and key to how we help our students, not only in the classroom, but with student services and support,” said Solis. “We offer everything from food to emergency scholarships that can help when life happens. And this donation is symbolic in how we encourage our students. This is just the beginning. It is a significant moment; this is how we open doors of opportunities.”
For more information on STC’s Student Food Pantry or to learn how to donate, visit https://life.southtexascollege.edu/food-pantry/.