(Orange, CA) - Students needing assistance with overcoming food insecurity are encouraged to visit the Santiago Canyon College (SCC) Hawk’s Nest Food Pantry, which has been created to ensure a student’s most basic needs are met. Through the pantry, students are afforded the opportunity to obtain food necessary for their success, receive help enrolling in the Cal Fresh program and will soon have the ability to partake in a community garden that will grow items that will be distributed through the food pantry.
According to Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, a leading researcher on basic needs of students, approximately 46 percent of community college students are plagued with some level of food insecurity and about 14 percent of community college students suffer from homelessness. The Hawk’s Nest Food Pantry distributes food through the pantry, food corners on campus and provides emergency bag distributions. Additionally, by helping students enroll in the Cal Fresh program, SCC is addressing food insecurity in a more sustainable way. Finally, the Hawk’s Nest Food Pantry community garden will serve as a service learning project in conjunction with Coastkeeper Garden and SCC Women’s Studies Professor Dr. Shereen Siddiqui where students will learn about food insecurity, sustainability and social justice.
SCC’s Hawk’s Nest Food Pantry is open to all credit and non-credit students, with over 600 students served through this program last year. To participate, students sign in with their student ID. Once inside, they can shop for free and access perishables such as eggs, fruit and vegetables in addition to non-perishable items.
The Hawk’s Nest Food Pantry is made possible in part through partnerships with the OC Food Bank, Second Harvest, Mother’s Market in Anaheim Hills, Mary’s Kitchen, Temple Beth Shalom and Jersey Mike’s in Orange (Chapman Avenue), and through the generous donations from SCC students, staff, administrators and faculty.
About Santiago Canyon College
Santiago Canyon College (SCC) serves more than 17,000 credit and noncredit students each semester. In 2017, SCC was ranked #13 among the 50 Best Community Colleges in the U.S. by College Choice, a leading authority in college and university rankings and resources. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions and careers, and provides courses for personal and professional development, as well as customized training for business and industry. The college is recognized for its adult education program which keeps the working adult - and senior - in mind by offering flexible schedules, and community locations. Serving the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park, SCC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
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