Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) Food Pantry
Marcia Parent, Campus Compact AmeriCorps Member serving at NVCC in Waterbury, CT
Background
• Open the pantry under the new Covid
guidelines.
• Create online ordering systems and
new data collection systems.
• Open at full capacity to allow students
in need to have healthy food choices
with contactless pickup.
• Continue to work on capacity building
with partners.
• Create a new operations manual.
Marketing Strategies
• Working with marketing was the key to
getting the word out the pantry was still
around.
• We were able to send out place the new
pantry set up on the college website.
• Multiple articles placed in the Tamarack
college news paper.
• Place all new contact an event information
on NVCC Face Book page.
Capacity Building/Partners
• Partnering with the CT. Food bank
to have adequate healthy options
for students to choice from.
• Continued support through The
United Way with financial support
and updates on all Covid related
issues they gave new resources
like the Farmers to Family boxes
monthly which boosted our
inventory with dairy, fresh
produce, and meats
• Working with the Vincent DePaul
soup kitchen and the Waterbury
Harvest Farmers Market and
Vincent DePaul Soup kitchen to
share capacity building strategies
My day of service this facility and
we served 167 meals in 6 hours.
• We also partnered with the
hospitality department as a new
fresh meal resource.
Challenges
• Working with the Covid restrictions
and maintaining access for students.
Project Results • Available staff on Campus to assist
• Started a new online ordering with technical issues.
• Available support staff to assist in the
system for students and
pantry.
contactless pickup system.
• Not having student workers for the
• All-new data collection system
first several months.
were implemented .
• New operations manual was
created as a hard copy as well as Data for the Year
online version
Procured 12,298 lbs. food
• Grab & Go snack program.
• Multiple on campus events took Distributed 10,105 lbs. food to 385
place. Thanksgiving Meal
students.
giveaway.
• 640 individual meals handed out
from second week in April to 2nd 84% distributed to minority students
week of May
• March 28th Fundraiser Run/Walk 94 % students below poverty level
640 individual meals distributed
Recommendations
• Have weekly meetings with the 1634 grab and go snacks
supervisors. And a clear
understanding of who to Money Procured
report to and what their part of
the pantry they assist with. $5700 grant for individual meals
• Keep frequent and updated
data. $20,000 Covid money
• Make connections with other
departments (Make friends)