South Louisiana Community College has opened three locations of “The Pantry” in an effort to assist students struggling with food insecurity.
SLCC says the Pantry is now open at the college’s Abbeville, Lafayette, and Opelousas campuses and contains shelf-stable food and non-food items.
In 2017, SLCC created Little Food Pantries from refurbished newspaper bins and placed them at all campus locations.
Funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and ATMOS Energy in 2021 made expansion of The Pantry locations possible, while in-kind contributions from the Do-It-Greener Foundation provided items to combat period poverty among women. The locations expanded to private rooms and large closets, and students are encouraged to complete an anonymous five-question survey for data collection on food insecurity efforts. SLCC plans to expand The Pantry to additional campuses as private funding becomes available.
“SLCC views students through a holistic lens and is working to close gaps that get in the way of student success,” said Vincent June, chancellor of SLCC. “When a student is hungry or worried about feeding their family, they cannot concentrate on succeeding in college. We are incredibly appreciative of our partners for seeing the value in this initiative and providing private funding to expand our operations.”
The Pantry locations will continue to accept shelf-stable food items, as well as non-food items including laundry detergent, toothpaste, paper towels, and more.
For more information or to schedule a drop-off, contact studentengagement@solacc.edu. If you'd like to donate funds so the pantry can purchase what is needed, go here: solacc.edu/donate
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