Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/776907
variety of ways, from payroll deductions to contributing to the annual "Scare Away Hunger" food drive in October. e campus has tried to destigmatize hunger by incorporating efforts into its system, hiring work-study student advocates to spread the word, and awarding service learning credit to students for conducting research. Eight years ago, when the campus food pantry opened, 25 students used the service. is semester, the pantry provides a simple bag lunch to 900 students, according to Beatriz Palmer, student services coordinator. MiraCosta English instructor Syndee Wood works to destig- matize hunger on campus by asking students to write about the relationship between poverty and illiteracy in her critical think- ing classes. Wood is especially passionate about the cause, having experienced hunger herself as a grocery clerk out on strike. "I've been one of those people who benefits from a food drive," recalls Wood, MiraCosta College Academic Associate Faculty. "I've been the person who was handed a bag of groceries. It was three days before Christmas, and I had gone two months without a paycheck. It was ugly." She adds, "It is shocking that 30 percent of college students are hungry. I don't care if we ever require proof [to receive services]. We should be rewarding them for coming forward." Student-led successes Samantha McDonald, a work-study student at College of the Sequoias (COS) in Visalia, assists students at the campus food pantry in the Student Health Center. "It's a little depressing to see how many students need it to help feed their families," she says. McDonald also makes use of the food pantry, snack stations and monthly farmers' market, all of which are free to students. "I usually get two bags of groceries a month from the pantry. It's humbled me a bit, but at the same time, I know it's a program to help people, and no one should feel bad about needing help," she says. As many as 400 students and community members have used the farmers' market in a single morning, says Pat Alvarez, fac- ulty coordinator of student health services, who also researches the health needs of students. FoodLink for Tulare County provides fresh produce gleaned from local fields for free. One recent market featured pears, persimmons and potatoes, and had a nurse educator who conducted a cooking demonstration on how to make pancakes with persimmon sauce. Alvarez, College of the Sequoias Teachers Association, devel- oped several programs to ser ve COS students, working with student services nurse Cynthia Norvall, as well as faculty. She notes a campus survey found more than 50 percent of students worry about food. "Right now, we have students who can't buy books because they need to feed their family," she says. Students brought attention to the issue after meeting with Michael Pollan and other food activists at a Bioneers Conference in 2013. Students in the Sustainability Club returned to campus to start a demonstration program where they fed the entire campus a free, organic, locally sourced, locally prepared lunch on several occasions, according to Paul Tidwell, faculty adviser to the club and COSTA president. Cynthia Norvall, Samantha McDonald and Pat Alvarez in the food pantry at College of the Sequoias. Students Sarah Estrada, Kate Hunt and Matthew Scott at College of the Sequoias' monthly farmers' market. Story continues on page 36. H U N G R Y S T U D E N T S 34 cta.org Sonya Navarro Living so far away from home, it's been a struggle to pay rent and eat sometimes." — Sonya Navarro, Student CTA Executive Board