Palomar students and staff donated 1,503 items and $105 in cash in only three hours during an event that helps stock the campus food bank.
That is a big jump from 2013, where only 382 items and $76 in cash were donated during the Stock the Bank event, formally known as Food 4 Food, according to Lindsay Kretchman, activities coordinator for the Office of Student Activities.
The OSA hosts the Stock the Bank event every November, encouraging students and faculty to bring 3 non-perishable food items.
Kretchman said they like to keep the food bank filled for the holidays.
The Associated Student Government and various clubs on campus helped raised 841 items during Stock the Bank. The OSA staff and student workers raised 587.
“We keep getting bigger,” Kretchman said.
The food bank serves nearly 400 students every year.
The food bank is open to Palomar College students who take up to one unit and fill out a specific form available through the counseling department, EOPS or Health Services.
The referral form can be turned in once a month to the Office of Student Affairs to use the food bank services, which include a week worth of food with three meals a day.
Kretchman said it is to help tide students over when they are short on money such as waiting for a paycheck. Although there are some students in need who regularly benefit from the service.
“We are happy to do that,” Kretchman said about helping students who need assistance. She said she remembers being a student: it’s expensive and sometimes buying groceries can be difficult.
She added that it is specifically only for Palomar students. Sometimes people come in and ask to use the service without being an enrolled student.
“I do like it’s only for Palomar students,” Kretchman said. “There are other sources for non-students.”
