By Kyle Jackson
Grand Rapids Community College is host to students of all ages and backgrounds. However, some students struggle to find their way with basic needs such as food. That is why GRCC has set up its very own food pantry, run by people dedicated to helping GRCC students.
Ocrea Collier has been a lifelong resident of Grand Rapids for 38 years and serves as the Student Resource Coordinator at GRCC. Having helped students for the past two years, Collier has seen and assisted with a variety of things. Namely, the on-campus food pantry.
“From what I know, I used to go to school here in 2010 and we did not have anything then…” said Collier, “What I got from my supervisor is that we pretty much had the closet, a small closet, back in 2016-2017, like right before COVID, where they had pre-packed bags and a student could request it.”
The pantry is located within the Student Center on the ground floor as a part of Student Life and has greatly grown since the days before COVID. Now, the pantry has various frozen and refrigerated goods, large quantities of shelf-stable items. In addition, clothing resources are also available.
Due to its location, however, the on-campus pantry is reserved for students.
“You will be required to be in one class, but it has to be known that if there’s a person from downtown and they (are) not a student, and they stumble across our pantry, I do have to give them a little something,” Collier said.
All shopping is completely anonymous, creating a safe place where anyone can utilize these resources without the pressure of onlookers.
Collier aims to ease students’ anxiety about utilizing the pantry.
“I understand but I do wish that they could look past it because I was a student here,” Collier said. “…All we had was Quiet Cafe and the Rader Grill and Subway, but there was no snack pantry and there was no pantry, so if I didn’t bring food from home, I was stuck there from 7 in the morning to 5 at night with nothing. … I try to explain that to students, like, do not feel that way. That food is here for you. I pick it out for you.”
Collier is currently looking to widen the knowledge about the on-campus food pantry and other resources, like the on-campus greenhouse, as a way of helping more students in need.
“They (GRCC) tell me that it is brought up during orientation, but I feel like orientation students have absorbed so much information that day, they can’t remember. I’ve had students say ‘yeah’ and I have students say ‘no, I didn’t hear anything about that.’”
In attempts to share this information with students, Collier is currently looking to collaborate with the Communications Department to help out by advertising the pantry across the various screens around campus. In addition, having instructors give information about various resources, not just the pantry. Anyone interested in helping out can donate food so long as the nutritional labels are still intact and the food has not passed its expiration date. However, no candies are permitted.
Students also have the opportunity to volunteer by helping unload deliveries or taking a special training to help with other resources on campus that will be available this October.
The food pantry is located within Student Life and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the week, and closed Fridays to Sundays. Students are required to fill out a form in order to gain access upon entering student life. Utilizing this resource is completely anonymous and free.
