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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

‘Brain Food’ pantry opens at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus

Posted at 9:29 am January 27, 2020
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Brain Food Pantry Roane State 1
Sue Byrne, third from right, cuts the ribbon for the new Brain Food pantry, located in Roane State Community College’s Coffey/McNally Building in Oak Ridge. She is the assistant project manager for the First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge’s partnership to help stock the campus’s pantry. From left are Scott Niermann, executive director of the Roane State Foundation; Kristie Hopwood, agency relations coordinator for Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee; Kara Allen, an assistant manager of the Kroger Store in Oak Ridge; Melissa Eads, corporate affairs manager for the Kroger Nashville Division; Byrne; Karen Brunner, vice president of Roane State Institutional Effectiveness and Research; and Roane State President Chris Whaley. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

It’s a vexing, persistent problem nationally: food insecurity issues experienced by many college students. Roane State Community College is again doing something about it.

That’s the message delivered by Chris Whaley, president of the community college, during the formal opening of the Brain Food Pantry on the college’s Oak Ridge campus.

Some 40 percent of college students nationwide “struggle with hunger,” Whaley told the crowd attending the ribbon-cutting in the former Anderson Grille in the campus’s Coffey/McNally Building.

Making sure students—and their families—have proper and adequate nutrition “is as much a part of student success as what happens in the classroom,” said Karen Brunner, the college’s vice president of institutional effectiveness and research.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: College, Education, Front Page News, Top Stories Tagged With: Brain Food pantry, Chris Whaley, First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, food pantry, Karen Brunner, Kroger Foundation, Roane State Community College, Roane State Foundation, Sandy Vann, Second Harvest Food Bank, Sue Byrne

Raider Pantry now open at Roane State’s main campus in Harriman

Posted at 2:02 pm September 14, 2019
By Owen Driskill Leave a Comment

raider_pantry roane state

Retired Roane State dean of students Brenda Rector cuts the ribbon for the new Raider Pantry at the college’s main campus in Harriman. From left are Roane State president Chris Whaley; Mid-East Community Action Agency Executive Director Jerry Johnson; Brenda Rector; Kristie Hopwood, agency relations and school pantry program coordinator with Second Harvest Food Bank; Kroger assistant store manager Fred Kleimola; and Kroger corporate affairs manager Melissa Eads. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The new Raider Pantry is fully stocked and open for business, ready to provide everything from snacks to the makings of nutritious meals for Roane State Community College students and their families.

A ribbon-cutting in August formally opened the newest effort by the community college to address the vexing problem of food insecurity, which affects a staggering number of college students nationwide.

“At least 40 percent of students in higher education suffer from some form of food insecurity,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said during the grand opening at the main campus in Harriman. “That’s appalling.”

The launch of the Raider Pantry in a small space just inside the Roane State gymnasium on the Roane County campus continues the college’s efforts to address food insecurity. Snacks are offered at campus locations, and three campuses (Roane, Oak Ridge, and Cumberland) offer dedicated rooms for food pantries. [Read more…]

Filed Under: College, Education Tagged With: Brenda Rector, Chris Whaley, food pantry, Roane State

Second Harvest Mobile Food Pantry in Oliver Springs on June 21

Posted at 12:16 pm June 6, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A Second Harvest mobile food pantry will be in Oliver Springs on Saturday, June 21.

Everyone is welcome to attend, a press release said.

The free food distribution includes fresh foods, canned goods, and much more, the release said. There are no income requirements.

It’s sponsored by Norwood Elementary School and Cornerstone Church/Compassion Ministries.

The food pantry is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Norwood Elementary School, 809 E. Tri-County Blvd, in Oliver Springs.

Filed Under: Community, Education, Front Page News, K-12, Nonprofits Tagged With: Compassion Ministries, food pantry, Norwood Elementary School, ornerstone Church, Second Harvest

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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