Many college students throughout the country are struggling to eat properly, and in some cases, not able to eat much at all. Through a grant provided by the Norwescap Food Bank’s Network Investment Initiative, in coordination with the Foodshed Alliance’s LocalShare program, the main campus of Warren Community College on Route 57 in Washington Township was recently provided a cooler that will be of big help to those students needing fresh foods. The cooler will be filled with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables during the New Jersey farm harvesting season. 

“Having a walk-in cooler at the college allows us to expand our reach in the community and offer food to more partner programs,” said Christine Sharp Parauda, MSW, LocalShare Coordinator at the Foodshed Alliance. “We can spend more time in the fields harvesting and then collect and store food for free pop up markets.”

During the harvest season, volunteers collect fresh fruit and vegetables from farms in the Warren – and Sussex – area. The Foodshed Alliance then distributes the food to pantries, service providers, meal programs, and to coolers throughout the region. The refrigeration of the cooler can better preserve fresh fruit and vegetables, in particular. 

“Nationally there is a real concern that many college students are going hungry,” said Dr. Will Austin, President of Warren. “Having the cooler on our campus will help alleviate some of the difficulties that some of our students are facing. This, in addition to the WCC Foundation’s commitment to providing gift cards for ShopRite and lunch vouchers to those students who could use a boost, will make life a little easier for those students in need of some assistance.”

The grant program is a partnership between the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund and its funding partners, Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Mercer Street Friends and Norwescap. LocalShare has locations throughout Warren, Sussex, Morris and Union counties.

“Our work has always been about making our local food system more resilient – and to withstand inevitable disruptions like pandemics, hurricanes, power outages, etc.” said Parauda. “We have been tested many times but in all cases our local farms stepped up to meet the needs of their communities as the global food chain stumbled.  Our local farmers are always there for us.”

And in turn, there for the people who need the food most – including college students trying to balance their educational goals with day-to-day living. 

Photo above, Dr. Will Austin, President of WCC, with Christine Sharp Parauda, MSW, LocalShare Coordinator at the Foodshed Alliance.

For more about the FoodShed Alliance, visit www.FoodShedAlliance.org. To learn more about Warren Community College and its student financial assistance programs, go to warren.edu.