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DACC cuts ribbon on hunger-fighting food pantry

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Doña Ana Community College administrators cut the ribbon Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 15, officially opening DACC’s Comfort Casita food pantry.

Having the food pantry means no DACC student should have to deal with food insecurity again, DACC Vice President for Student Services Ike Ledesma said as he joined Outreach Coordinator Amy Myers in cutting the blue ribbon to open the facility. Director of Student Accessibility Services Jesse Haas, Ph.D. also participated.

Ledesma said state and federal grants helped get the food pantry open and stocked and DACC has a funding plan in place to ensure its sustainability for years to come.

The food pantry is located in room 109B of the DASH building on DACC’s Espina campus, 3400 S. Espina St. at the south end of the New Mexico State University campus.

The pantry is open to all DACC students and in some instances, faculty and staff as well, DACC said in a news release.

“Each semester, there are a vast number of students who state that food insecurity is an issue for their household,” Haas said. “This pantry will be able to bridge the gap for some of our students when it comes to feeding themselves and their families.”

Students can attend the pantry twice per week for food or other household items they may need. Funding for the pantry comes from a nearly $60,000 grant from the New Mexico Higher Education Department.

According to a survey by the Hope Center for College at Temple University, nearly 48 percent of two-year college students have faced food insecurity, DACC said. Most impacted are racial minority students, first-generation college students, low-income students, those facing housing insecurity, parents, and LGBTQ+ students.

Visit https://dacc.nmsu.edu/thrive/.


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