Owensboro Community and Technical College’s food pantry has been open for almost a month and has already helped more than 20 students with food and other necessities.
Bernie Hale, PR & Marketing Director for OCTC, said since officially opening the pantry on Sept. 9, they have had 24 students make 38 trips to the food pantry.
“We have over 2,000 items ready and available for our students,” she said. “Our intent is to provide students with quick meals and snacks they can eat while on campus as well as food and personal hygiene items they can take home as well.”
After receiving a $2,000 grant from Kentucky Community and Technical College System earlier in the year and getting another $2,000 from OCTC, the food pantry was created.
She said the data is still pretty light at this point, but she is proud of the usage so far.
Hale said some of the best practices among colleges found that serving 100 students in the first year is a valid indicator of success.
Also at the beginning of the semester, OCTC partnered with the Owensboro Transit System and started offering students free transportation. Since Aug. 1, 638 rides have been given for free with the partnership.
Scott Williams, OCTC president added, “We want to continue to work and remove or lessen as many barriers as possible for our students. Transportation and food insecurity are two significant challenges, and we hope through these initiatives we can ensure the success of more students.”
