Chabot had their usual Food Pantry event on Wednesday, October 10, to distribute food and other resources like clothing to people who need them.
The food pantry started in the summer of 2017 and has been pretty successful since. Student Maria Garcia and former student Sofia Sanchez, who were volunteers for the event, said, “Chabot hosts the event to increase access to food and other resources.”
When asked who supplies the food she stated, “[the] food comes from the Alameda County food bank.”
When asked about how many people volunteer for this cause she said, “[about] 10-15 people volunteer for this event.”
Food pantry events are a big help for a student or anyone who’s struggling as many are, with working while also trying to go to school full time, especially in the bay area.
When asked on how the food pantry has helped her, Phuong Ha, a student at Chabot College told us, “I think it’s really helpful for students because some of us have big families and every week we go to the grocery store it’s really expensive like two or three hundred dollars so this really helps me and my family out.”
Student, Malcolm Roi, also gave us his opinion on the food pantry, “I think it’s a good thing that they’re doing this, it provides food for people that are in need, they’re providing resources for those less fortunate.”
Student, Cedric White, talked about the money this event helps students save as we know that’s very important in the bay area especially for college students, “I think it’s great, I mean those bags of onions for example and the fruit, you’re already saving people like 5 to 15 dollars right there so it’s a big help.”
It was another successful event as many students showed up to get food, it’s a noble act that Chabot is holding this event as all the students interviewed said, they are saving students money, opening up resources for people who might be going through hard times, etc.
All in all, we can see the appreciation that students have for this event and the sense of community that is felt right away throughout it. For those wanting to take advantage of this event, it is held every month at the Cesar Chavez Plaza, you can get more information by sending an email to freshchabot@gmail.com.