The Food Security Project at Fresno State recently purchased a new vehicle, allowing staff members to pick up donations from community partners and bring them to campus, making more resources available to students in need.
“We had our first pick up today at Kraft,” said Michael Ballin, Food Security Project coordinator. “We worked with the El Dorado Park Community Development Corporation and their summer Climate Corp interns, some of whom are Fresno State students, to unload [at the Amendola Family Student Cupboard]. El Dorado Park has a community garden on Bulldog Lane and works on composting and food recovery, just like the Food Security Project here on campus.”
Ballin has already planned the Food Security Project’s next pick up — bringing food from Sprouts Farmers Market back to the Amendola Family Student Cupboard.
Founded in 2014, the Amendola Family Student Cupboard is a free resource for current Fresno State students, offering a variety of perishable and non-perishable food items. Hygiene products such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and laundry detergent are given out twice a month, and diapers are also available once a month for students with children living in their household.
In addition to offering food and hygiene products, the Amendola Family Student Cupboard is a place where Food Security Project staff members can help students complete CalFresh applications and connect with other resources on campus, including Project HOPE and the Money Management Center.
About one-fifth of Fresno State’s student population utilize the Amendola Family Student Cupboard, amounting to 1,700 visits per week throughout this past spring semester.
Students can visit the Amendola Family Student Cupboard during the summer: Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Amendola Family Student Cupboard is primarily funded by donations. For more information, or to donate, contact David Hembree at 559.278.5052 or dhembree@csufresno.edu.
