San Diego Miramar College has moved its food pantry from J-302, near the pool, to the student affairs lounge located on the second floor of the K-1 Student Services Building. The new food pantry occupies the one-time location of the campus Starbucks. The pantry’s hours of operation will be Monday-Friday 9am-1pm. Students are asked to bring a valid student ID and their own bags.
Rescued food from nearby retail businesses will be available on Monday’s & Tuesday’s and until supplies last. The Really Really Free Farmer’s Market will continue on a monthly basis outside of K-1.
“This is an ideal spot to move to,” said Joseph Hankinson, Miramar College student support service officer. “Now we don’t have to shut down because of rain or the elements and we are closer to the center of campus activity where the students are.”
After its soft opening on Aug.16, the College began to see a shift in who uses the food pantry. “Once we moved to the Student Services Building, we began to notice more students use the food pantry,” said Hankinson.
Hankinson estimates that 1,000 pounds of food are offered to students each week through the food pantry. Users are limited to 3 items.
The food pantry, in its new location, is still a work in progress. Hankinson is working on adding new shelving and several more refrigerators are needed. “As we get more data, we will adjust accordingly,” said Hankinson.
The food pantry is staffed by work study students and volunteers. The College’s monthly free farmer markets will also continue throughout the year.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, Miramar College’s food pantry and Free Farmer’s Market provided 91,584 pounds of food. The College’s retail rescue program secured 34,976 pounds of food while the Farmers Market distributed 56,608 pounds.
At the Sept. 12, 2019 San Diego Community College District Board meeting, Feeding San Diego presented Miramar College with the Hunger Solutions Award for 2018-2019 in recognition of its outstanding food rescue efforts. According to Feeding San Diego, a valued partner of the College, eighty-two percent of all food rescued by local community colleges is done so by San Diego Miramar College.
