MCC Food Pantries Provide Stability During State of Insecurity

As the cost of college rises, a report released today from the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, revealed the growing number of students at risk of being food insecure.

“Today’s report to Congress from the Government Accounting Office on the prevalence of food insecurity among college students done at the request of Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey – further validates MCC’s efforts to provide on-campus food support for our community,” said MCC President James C. Mabry. “Helping to alleviate the challenges associated with hunger and food insecurity will enable our students to remain in school, be successful, and become engaged community members.”

Several years ago, MCC recognized an increase in the number of students dealing with housing and food insecurity.

“With student success at the heart of our mission, we realized that chronic hunger and food insecurity is a major detriment to academic and personal success,” said Pamela Flaherty, MCC’s Dean of Students. “For that reason, we opened two food pantries in 2016, and have been successfully providing free food and personal care items to our campus community since then.”

MCC provides two food pantries, two self-serve food cabinets, and a food voucher program for students, faculty and staff, with no eligibility requirements for participation.

“Combined, these options provide a variety of free, ready-to-eat, perishable and non-perishable, refrigerated and frozen food items, as well as personal care items, to the MCC community,” said Jonathan Crockett, MCC’s Hunger and Homelessness Liaison.

The Lowell campus Food Pantry is located inside the Lowell Student Lounge on 45 Middle St and is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Bedford campus Food Pantry is located in Bedford House (Building 5) in Room BH 001 and is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The campus food pantries are open fall and spring semesters while classes are in session.

To receive food and/or personal care items, participants may visit either Food Pantry during regular hours, take food from a self-serve cabinet on either campus, or contact foodpantry@middlesex.mass.edu for more info.

For additional information on the MCC Food Pantry, visit: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/studentlife/mccfoodpantry

To read the full report from the Government Accountability Office, visit: https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/696254.pdf

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, we educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners. MCC offers more than 70 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – on our campuses in Bedford and Lowell, and online. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!