Gateway’s food pantry provides holiday meals to students

Published on Nov 24, 2020

Gateway Community & Technical College’s Food for Thought Pantry will be supporting nearly 50 struggling student families this Thanksgiving. 

“I am thankful for the support from Gateway through this chaotic time,” said Jessica Bacon, Gateway student. “Without all the resources my family and I would not have survived, Gateway is more than a school, it is a family.”

The food pantry, with support from Kroger and the Gateway Foundation, distributed nearly 50 Thanksgiving meal boxes to students in need. The Thanksgiving meal kits included stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, mac-and-cheese, vegetables and of course a turkey, everything needed for a great Thanksgiving meal. 

“At Gateway, we are committed to removing barriers for our students, many of whom balance family obligations with full and part time employment,” said Dr. Fernando Figueroa, Gateway President. “We want to ensure our students can have a great holiday meal with their families."

During the 2019-2020 school year, the food pantry has served 205 students. Students enrolled and taking classes, faculty, and staff are eligible to utilize the food pantry. The food pantry operates similarly to grocery pick-up, accepting online orders. 

Gateway’s Food for Thought Pantry was created to help remove non-academic barriers for Gateway students, giving them the best opportunity to stay in school and complete their education or career training.