The term “broke college student” is often used with resigned acceptance, as many people think this state is normal when pursuing a college degree. SUNY Jamestown Community College takes the matter seriously, realizing that food insecurity can be an issue for students, and that it can be a barrier to academic success.
“Food insecurity can lead to students dropping out of college,” Kayla Crosby, director of Campus Life at SUNY JCC shared. “The food pantry has daily requests from students, and we notice there is increased need on Fridays as students prepare for weekends without food service and limited public transportation available to travel to grocery stores.”
SUNY JCC has food pantries at all of its locations. On the Jamestown Campus, the pantry can be found in the Hamilton Collegiate Center, next to the campus bookstore. On the Cattaraugus County Campus in Olean, the food pantry is on the first floor of College Center, in the Counseling and Career Center, room 151. At the North County Center in Dunkirk, the food pantry is located in the Main Building near the Counseling and Career Center. Freezer and refrigeration capabilities are new additions this year.
“I personally have noticed more students accessing the pantry items, and they have been appreciative of what supply is currently there,” said Tammy Skroback, senior student service assistant for the Counseling and Career Center on the Cattaraugus County Campus. “As we all know when we go to purchase our groceries, prices have skyrocketed. Our students are having just as much trouble with purchasing their food.”
Donations are welcome and can be made at any location.
“The food pantries are useful in so many ways,” Crosby said. “For international students who are just learning to navigate the town and local shopping centers, having free food they can prepare in the residence halls can ease some of the pressure to figure that out while also adapting to college life and building their study skills. Our parent students may be time and budget-crunched, and grabbing something from the pantry to help with making a healthy meal for their family when they get home might be just the thing they need that day to keep them on track with their goals.”
The college has additional resources to help students manage food insecurity. On the Jamestown Campus, the Counseling and Career Center hosts Brooke Barone, nutrition coordinator with FeedMore WNY, on campus monthly to help eligible students enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“We want students to know their efforts to better themselves are seen and supported,” Crosby said. “We make sure their experience with the food pantry is positive and destigmatized.”
Anyone seeking more information for the Cattaraugus County Campus can email Skroback at TammySkroback@mail.sunyjcc.edu or call 716.376.7559, and for the Jamestown Campus and North County Center, connect with Crosby at KaylaCrosby@mail.sunyjcc.edu or call 716.338.1004.