A lot has changed this year, but hunger persists. Black Hawk College remains committed to combating it by offering food pantries to meet students’ needs.
“The food pantry helps students worry less and study more,” said Jen Holldorf, special populations coordinator.
The Hawk’s Cupboard, located at the Quad-Cities Campus, distributes pre-packaged food the first and third Wednesdays of the month.
Participants are asked to sign up online by the day before the distribution to ensure a bag is packed for them.
The Hawk’s Cupboard is seeing about 35 students during each distribution day. BHC students experiencing food insecurity are far from alone.
A national survey (PDF) found that 44% of community college students had limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
People wanting to help can drop off non-perishable food items at Advising in Building 1.
For the East Campus, there is a small station set up outside of Building A, Room 233 for students to access food at their convenience. People can drop off donations there.
Wish list:
- Canned soup
- Pasta noodles and sauce
- Canned vegetables
- Convenience meals (microwave and go)
- Canned fruit
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Canned meat (tuna, chicken)
- Hamburger Helper
- Mac and cheese
The Hawk’s Cupboard and River Bend Foodbank launched a partnership allowing the pantry to also offer perishable food in 2019.