The Northeast Texas Community College CARE Center recently learned that it received a $3,000 grant from Swipe Out Hunger – the leading national nonprofit working to end college student food insecurity. NTCC was one of 102 colleges that received more than $420,000 in grants for their campuses. The NTCC funds will be used to purchase a new computer and software to help manage food pantry inventory.
“We were so excited to learn that we received this grant. Student use of our food pantry continues to rise and we work hard to keep up with the demand. The technology purchased with the grant will make it much easier for us to manage our stock and serve our students more efficiently,” Carmen Shurtleff, Instructor of Sociology and Social Work and Director of the CARE Center, said.
The mission of the CARE Center is to help alleviate basic need insecurities within the college community by providing students with resources through access to education, healthy food, advocacy and empowerment. What started in 2018 as a small closet with a few canned goods has since evolved into a full-service center that includes both perishable and non-perishable food items, hygiene products, nutritional education programs, group mental health sessions and more.
“The community would likely be surprised at the number of NTCC students who struggle with food insecurity and other basic needs. Our goal is to eliminate as many of those barriers as possible so they can focus on getting their education and making a better life for themselves and their families,” Shurtleff said.
Swipe Out Hunger is thrilled to continue providing much needed additional funding to even more campuses. This is the single largest investment cycle Swipe Out Hunger has made in its history. Since 2021, the organization has distributed more than $720,000, with this current grant cycle accounting for more than half of their total award amount. These grants are made possible thanks to the support of Swipe Out Hunger’s philanthropic partners including Campus Specialties Inc. and MicroFridge, The GIANT Company, and Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation.
“We’re incredibly proud to more than double our grant distribution this year thanks to the dedicated support of our partners, and we hope to continue increasing these grants for our campuses,” said Jaime Hansen, Executive Director at Swipe Out Hunger. “In alignment with our organizational values, our focus is to promote equity and justice in grant allocation. By prioritizing typically overlooked schools that experience greater need, we’re able to make a bigger impact.”
The NTCC CARE Center (located on the main NTCC campus in the IA building) is always seeking donations of nutritious food items and personal hygiene products. To learn more, visit ntcc.edu/carecenter or contact Shurtleff at 903-434-8307 or cshurtleff@ntcc.edu.
