NCCC food pantry stocked for spring semester

Food insecurity has been targeted as an issue that affects nearly half of all college students, and can be a barrier to academic success and even affect graduation. A food pantry was established at Niagara County Community College in 2016 – and continues to expand – to address the growing needs.

In 2019, student life and the NCCC food pantry partnered with Eat Smart NY from the Cornell Cooperative Extension, which assisted by donating, shelving, providing recipe cards and nutritional posters, and giving the organization space to maximize healthy options for students.

On Thursday, Jan. 16, the NCCC All College Meeting was held. Employees brought in 164 donations of food and hygiene items to restock the pantry before the spring semester started.

The pantry is reliant on individual donations and has no corporate sponsor or support from outside organizations. As such, these donation drives are crucial to keep the shelves stocked.

Right now, the pantry provides roughly 500 items per semester to students, with cereal and breakfast items being most popular. As far as goals for the future, “We would like to eventually get cold storage for basic needs like milk and butter and increase the stock of personal items such as shampoo, soap and feminine hygiene supplies,” said Molly Cole, technical assistant in student life.

For more information on the NCCC food pantry, contact Cole at 716-614-6263 or [email protected].