Student Den Food Pantry a‘Howling’ Success

Though officially open since the end of January, Delivering Emergency Nourishment, or DEN, the new food pantry for needy students at Cal State San Bernardino, has already assisted 19 students with food and personal care items. “The response has been very good,” said Bryant Fairley, the associate director of the Office of Community Engagement, which officially opened the pantry Jan. 28 and 29. “We’re getting a lot of calls. People on campus are referring students to the DEN.” The pantry, which is located at CSUSB’s Community Engagement office in the Faculty Office Building, was created to help students who need food and to provide a supportive environment to ensure students’ overall success, Fairley said. “Our goal is to refer students to more permanent assistance and community resources,” said Diane Podolske, director of OCE. Even before DEN officially opened, Podolske said, her office had already served two students seeking assistance – one student who is living in her car, and another student in a family with some extreme circumstances. CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales has been a strong supporter of the pantry since it was proposed. On Feb. 6, Morales brought two grocery bags full of canned and dry food that he and his wife Evy had collected to donate for the pantry. “It’s very important for everyone to support the DEN pantry,” Morales said. “This is a very giving campus and I know people already set aside a can of food or other goods for their favorite charity or church, but it’s important to keep the DEN pantry on the front burner on people’s minds. Some of our students are hungry because of finances, low income, family issues, and we want to help them. By the end of its first week, the pantry gave 19 students a one-week supply of food, including a pregnant student, four military veterans and a mother with a 3-year-old child. The students were from all class levels – freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students. The pantry has created “Hungry Student Kits” containing food for one day or one week, both of which have been distributed to the university’s Cross-Cultural Center, the Student Health Center, the Student Fitness and Recreation Center, and the Educational Opportunity Program, Podolske said. The DEN is also receiving support from volunteers to staff the pantry, Podolske said. “We have three pages full of students who signed up as potential volunteers.” To date, donations that include food, hygiene supplies and cash contributions have been received from more than 100 CSUSB faculty, staff, administrators and students, Podolske said. The Stater Brothers Foundation provided 10 gift cards each worth $10 to help students with children buy produce and dairy items, she said. Along with food, students are asking for hygiene items. The Office of Community Engagement is also encouraging visitors to bring a small donation for The DEN. Some of the items needed include instant oatmeal, Kraft macaroni and cheese, mini cereal boxes, cereal cups and cereal bars, instant ramen noodles (such as Cup Noodles), cans of fruit or fruit cups, fruit snacks, pop-top canned goods, granola bars and on-the-go drink mix. For more information, call Bryant Fairley at 909-537-7347 and visit the Office of Community Engagement DEN CSUSB Food Pantry website at http://engage.csusb.edu/TheDENFoodPantry.htm.