News
CCC Food Pantries Receive Grant Funds
November 2, 2018
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Central Community College has received a $1,000 Working Here Fund grant from Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica).
The money will be used to fund the food pantries at CCC-Columbus, CCC-Grand Island and CCC-Hastings. The Hastings campus food pantry was the first one to open in January 2017. The Columbus campus pantry opened four months later, followed by the Grand Island campus.
In the case of the Grand Island campus food pantry, the grant comes at an important time, as it will be moving to a larger location to meet an ever-growing demand.
“We have a lot of students that are single parents with kids and it’s tough from month-to-month to make things work,” said Nick Freelend, CCC-Grand Island student activities director. “This is our opportunity to provide for them a chance to keep their families healthy.”
Each campus food pantry has relied greatly upon donations from CCC faculty and staff to stock the shelves with basic food and hygiene products for any student that needs assistance.
“The students here are trying to make their economic lives better,” said Lydia Lough, CCC-Hastings academic success center director. “It’s really helpful to them, because eventually they are helping themselves.”
Through the Working Here Fund, FCSAmerica provides grants for projects and organizations that make a positive impact in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota or Wyoming in the areas of agriculture education, young and beginning producers and hunger and nutrition.
In 2017, FCSAmerica helped to provide nearly 79,000 pounds of food through local food banks that serve the immediate hunger needs in its four-state territory.
(Pictured from left to right: Dr. Marcie Kemnitz, CCC-Grand Island president; Dean Moors, CCC Foundation executive director; David Brandow, FCSAmerica financial officer; Lydia Lough, CCC-Hastings academic success center director; Rita Sallinger, FCSAmerica financial officer; and Nick Freelend, CCC-Grand Island student activities director.)