The Student Government Association began operations with the Renegade Pantry on Jan 28.? Since the opening, adjustments have been made to improve the program.
Cardiel Wafford, a married Bakersfield College student with one child, feels that the program is wonderful and said that it helps his family out a lot. Sept. 16 was his third time picking up food from the pantry.
Joyce Coleman, dean of students at BC, said that more students signed up than were expected.
“Typically, we find more students signing up near the end of the month and near the end of the semester,” she said.
The number of sign-ups for the program is greater than the actual amount of people picking up food products. During the last distribution date, 105 adults signed up for the program and a total of 61 came to pick up food items.? The amount of children that were signed up for the program is 181, and 103 children were served.
In Delano, the amounts of people that have signed up were eight adults and 16 children.? There are only two things one needs to use the program – to be a student and to sign up for the distribution.? No students will be turned away.??Applications can be picked up at Campus Center 4.
Last semester the program was started by SGA after a general consensus that an attempt should be made to make it a little easier for students to get by, according to Coleman.
Chris Ballard and Sean Newsom, both of whom are no longer part of SGA, originally coordinated the Renegade Pantry.? Ballard resigned and Newsom transferred to UC Berkeley.
The new Renegade Pantry coordinator, Michael Williams, has been taking care of most of the responsibilities in the program.? Coleman appointed Williams the first week of the semester.?
“It’s a great job to have, and the responsibilities should be no problem,” he said. Williams is in charge of ordering food products, distribution and marketing, as well as serving the Delano campus.?
According to Williams, all the goals that were set forth in this project have been accomplished.? He explained that everything so far has been going very smoothly without any complications.?
“Everybody worked as a team,” said Coleman about the challenges of the program.?
Each member of SGA spends three hours a week contributing to the program, along with senators who spend one hour a week volunteering.
The menu of the Food Pantry has been changed slightly to make things more efficient.?
Menu items have been divided into two categories: A and B.? Menu A is a vegetarian menu, and B has various meat products as well as some vegetarian items.? This was done in an attempt to make it more convenient, according to Williams.?
Frozen food items are now available sometimes because of the new freezer, along with hygiene products that are donated every once in a while, Williams stated.
Though the original budget was to spend $2,000 a month on food products, this semester, SGA has spent around $6,000.? The reason behind this, Coleman said was, “We wanted to stock the shelves and not be required?to order every two weeks.”
Depending on the amount of pick-ups they get this month, it should be enough food to last for six distributions at the most.
Coleman also explained that all of the food is paid for through Campus Center fees and that the food is purchased at a discounted price.? The companies that sell food products to BC are Golden Empire Gleaners, who sell their products for 5 cents per pound, and Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank, who sell their products for 19 cents a pound.
Albert Garza, outreach specialist from Community Action Partnership of Kern, said that their program is intended to serve ordinary people who live paycheck to paycheck. He explained that they are trying to break away from the assumption that the people who need food are either homeless or drug addicts. Their building is located off E. Belle Terrace and Cottonwood Road near Career Services Center.
Garza shared that during weekdays CAP serves from 100 to 400 people. He added that the program is also seeking volunteers to take on jobs like distribution, driving and clerical positions. The Renegade Pantry at BC is one of many programs they provide for.
Distribution days for the Renegade Pantry are Sept. 30,?Oct. 14, Oct. 28, Nov. 10, Nov. 24 and Dec. 9.