Three programs on campus help student needs with supplies, grants and transportation, all in the same building.
The Food Pantry offers toiletries and food items in weekly visits in the amount of picking up to two selections per food item, and one toiletry item. Basic Needs Coordinator Alexis Silva said she notices pantry popularity among many students.
The program began in 2016 by Student Affairs. Campus locations have varied, but now the pantry is in the Campus Center.
The program is doing well, Silva said. She and the basic needs coordinators oversee everything. Students can Instagram @citrusstudentlife for pantry information.
Several grants are offered through QR code applications, each a few sentences, that can be found at Campus Center. Students may apply for grocery grants of $100, supply grants of $250 and Best Buy/Chromebook grants.
The grant money comes from basic needs funds, not financial aid. This is also a popular and well-established resource, said Silva.
Two grant options are discontinued at this time, the hot meal grant of $400 and a tech grant of $250. Silva is looking into both for reinstatement.
The GoPass allows for free public transport with a sticker adhered to a student ID. The GoPass is only valid through the end of each semester. The stickers are offered at the front desk of the Campus Center for renewals and new members. Students subscribe daily, kept track by Student Liffe Supervisor Rosario Garcia, but mostly at the beginning of the semester.
Students who have the GoPass can ride Foothill Transit and Silver Streak lines and Metro bus and rail, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus, Long Beach Transit and other participating agencies. Maryann Tolano-Leveque, interim dean of Counseling Programs and Services, created the program around the Winter 2017 term. Garcia oversees this program.
A student only needs to inquire from the Campus Center’s front desk for instructions for all programs. Or instructions can be found at EOP&S/CARE, Veterans Success Center, Hayden Memorial Library, Financial Aid and the Dream Resource Center.
