GCC CARES Food Pantry Seeks to Support Students in Need

By Dominique Rocha

Glendale Community College’s care program, GCC CARES, is a basic needs center on campus that is able to provide students in need with goods and services, such as transportation, housing, food, and utilities, and help address other issues that might interfere with one’s education

Since the program began six years ago, student need has been the top priority for GCC CARES However in the more recent years, that necessity for school funded relief has increased

One of the largest programs that GCC CARES provides is the Food Pantry. Prior to the pandemic, a study was conducted to find out how many students across state-wide community colleges were in need of basic securities The study found that at least 60% of students were lacking in one area or another The study also found that 33% of those students did not have access to enough food

Beyond that, our present economy is contributing to the increasing amount of hardship affecting students across the country. Inflation has caused the price of food to rise, leading to a larger demand for food pantries Pantry staples, such as oil, rice, and canned foods, are facing some of the biggest cost increases in food items “We are seeing price increases on the lower end items that range anywhere from 60-150 percent,” said Andre Manukyan, who is the manager of GCC CARES