Patrick Henry Community College raises money for campus food bank

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WFXR) – The Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) Bookstore is partnering with the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Hunger Project to help raise money for their campus food bank. Since it started in 2017, the school’s Patriot Pantry has become a need for students who struggle with food insecurity and lack basic household necessities.

“When we find out a need, why not give it to the student at any college that they’re at? I mean, we’re providing them education, so why not provide them food as well?” says Seberina Valentine Tatum, Interim Director at PHCC.

School officials decided to create a campus food bank following a situation where a student collapsed in class after not eating for an extended amount of time. After a faculty member spent time researching how campus food pantries were operated at other colleges and universities, the Patriot Pantry was formed. So far, the food bank has helped approximately 75 students every semester.

The Patriot Pantry, which is located in PHCC’s Learning Resource Center, supplies nonperishable food items and household essentials like shampoo and soap. Students are allowed two visits a month during the school year. Through a point system, they can collect 25 to 50 points worth of items, depending on the size of their household. The college food bank also offers food truck vouchers and $50 Kroger gift cards for struggling students and their families.

“In our community, there are often food banks. “It’s nice to know that campuses nationwide are having their own food banks where students don’t have to actually go out into the community. They can actually go to the campus where they’re getting their education and they have everything that they need to be successful,” says Tatum.

The PHCC Bookstore joins 18 other VCCS campus stores by accepting donations in-store. While buying books or school supplies this fall semester, students can “round up” their change. College staff and community members are also encouraged to donate during the dollar-for-dollar match period. Follett Higher Education Group will match donations taken at the bookstore registers up to $19,000, where participating institutions will each receive $1,000.

“There’s already a buzz. We’ve had several people on campus who want to donate to the project. We had faculty that came in last Friday, we have other people from the foundation that want to donate to that. So once you have a buzz like this, and it’s a positive thing, helping students, it’s going to continue,” says Markus Seaton, store manager at the PHCC Bookstore.

The drive is going on now and will end on Tuesday, October 1st.