Reading, PA – In an effort to better support its students’ basic needs, Reading Area Community College (RACC) has opened a food pantry on campus, joining more than 560 other colleges and universities nationwide that provide food to students via pantries. The mission of the pantry is to provide free, non-perishable food items for RACC students experiencing food insecurity or difficulty buying food as well as offering a resource to help students create healthy meals.

Students and other members of the college community will be able to visit the pantry and select items they need free of charge. In addition to food items, the pantry also has diapers, household and personal care items, as well as gently used second hand professional attire.

The college officially opened the pantry on Thursday, September 30, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the pantry location in the Student Union Building on the RACC campus. Present were representatives from the RACC community, and representatives from Helping Harvest mobile market, which is a community partner of RACC. The lead funding for the pantry came from two important sources, Dr. Jerry Marcus, one of the leaders of the RACC Foundation Board, and the Berks County Community Foundation, led by President Kevin Murphy.

“As a leader in the community, very often our responsibilities go beyond teaching in the classroom, and extend to improving and supporting the personal lives of our students. We established the RACC Food Pantry in an effort to minimize the burdens that food insecurities can place on some of our students,” says RACC President Dr. Susan Looney.

The pantry will be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays from 9am to 5pm; and Wednesdays from 9am to 3pm.

If you would like to contribute to the RACC Food Pantry or have additional questions, please contact Student Life Coordinator Jamica Andrews at 610.236.3943.