BC3 focused on reducing food insecurity
Butler County Community College's food pantry is aiming to reduce the stigma of food insecurity as the issue continues to grow on the school's campus, college leaders said.
A survey distributed to students at BC3 in 2018 found that 53% had experienced at least one basic need insecurity.
The college opened the Pioneer Pantry in August 2019 to supply food to students in need, which equals about 40% of the student population.
The coronavirus pandemic further exacerbated the number of students experiencing food insecurity at BC3, according to Keystone Education Yields Success project director Karen Jack.
“Maybe they lost their job or their spouse lost their job, children get sick — there are so many factors and COVID really added an extra layer to the need,” Jack said. “Every situation is different, so we just try to meet a student where they're at.”
Students come to BC3 from all walks of life, Jack said, so many also come from financial situations that aren't completely stable. Jack said the pantry started out only being open a few times a month, but is now open twice a week throughout the semester.The food pantry is open to anyone who needs it, and all information about students' needs or financial situation is self-reported. However, Jack said not as many people get food from the pantry as the college's data suggests.“The students who use it absolutely need it, and we are working to reduce the stigma,” Jack said. “Right now, we have about 15 students who use it weekly, and anybody in the campus community can use it.”The stigma around receiving help has kept students in the past from seeking it, according to Mikayla Moretti, director of special events for the BC3 Foundation and a member of BC3's Food Security Team. She said many students who come to the pantry don't take as much as they are allowed each week.But Moretti as well as some students who volunteer at the Pioneer Pantry said they think the stigma has been reduced in recent years.Alyssa Sell, a social work and criminology major at BC3, volunteers at the pantry as part of the requirements for her major, and said food insecurity is such a large issue that there shouldn't be a stigma.“I thought there was a stigma until I started working here,” Sell said. “It's all stuff you get at the grocery store and I really realized how important it is.”The pantry is supported mainly through donations, Moretti said, and local organizations also contribute to help feed the hungry on campus. Moretti said the Pittsburgh Food Bank and the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources provide food for the pantry, and there are more than a dozen donation bins around campus where people can place food items.“The BC3 campus community and community at large are extremely generous and supportive of the pantry,” Jack said. “When we run low on items, we have donation boxes on campus and they get filled with the things we need.”The school recently made a $1,500 donation to the pantry, as part of the group's fundraising this semester.“I think food is something everybody should have easy access to and a lot of people don't because of the pandemic,” said Ashley Epslen, the club's faculty adviser.Jack said BC3 offers help and resources to students experiencing any kind of needs, mainly through the college's diversity, equity and inclusion council. This kind of help can extend to off-campus resources, such as SNAP and affordable housing organizations.Jack also said one of the advantages of community college is once a student graduates, they are often able to find security.“We make sure that they are connected with other resources,” Jack said. “Our students are very successful at graduating, getting employment and getting off of assistance.”Currently, the college is focused on keeping the pantry stocked, and spreading the word about its usefulness to students. Moretti said reducing the stigma is part of the college's current mission.Some students at the college said they are in no place to judge others' needs.“I hope this can get more people to utilize it,” said Nicole Webster, a student worker at the Pioneer Pantry.
