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‘Brain Food’ need increases as federal aid reduced

Posted at 5:03 pm January 25, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Roane State Community College Brain Food volunteer Mariella Akers, left, with Sue Byrne from First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, a sponsor for the pantry. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

“Brain Food,” the name of Roane State Community College’s pantry for students at the Oak Ridge Branch Campus, has seen a big increase in students taking advantage of the free service.

A reduction in federal assistance that went into effect in late September is seen as one of the reasons for the uptick, an official said.

At the Oak Ridge campus, between nine and 11 students were helped by Brain Food each week during the Spring 2021 semester, while that number jumped to 18 to 20 students in the fall.

Last year, more than 120 students were served. After tallying the reported members of each student’s household, pantry staffers estimate that a total of 373 people received assistance in 2021. Mariella Akers, Oak Ridge faculty secretary and Brain Food volunteer, added that 120 of those household members were children.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: College, Community, Education, Education, Front Page News, Slider Tagged With: Brain Food pantry, First Presbyterian Church, food assistance, food pantry, Kroger, Lisa Steffensen, Mariella Akers, Oak Ridge, Roane State Community College, Second Harvest Food Bank, Sue Byrne, Zero Hunger Zero Waste

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