LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — While many school districts are passing out meals to keep students fed, college students may also be in need of some help.
On Wednesday, Bluegrass Community and Technical College held a curbside meal pick-up at their Leestown campus.
“If you stay around Bluegrass very long, you’ll hear our motto is students first,” BCTC Associate VP for Retention and Student Success Tania Crawford Gross said.
Students were able to drive-up and get a meal, snacks, a roll of toilet paper or paper towels and even baby supplies, like diapers, if needed. This meal and supply handout is a part of the HEART of BCTC food pantry program that was just started last fall. While the school closed the pantry to people walking in, they wanted to find another way to reach their students safely.
“Some statistics tell us that there are 20-25% of college students who deal with food insecurity," Crawford Gross noted. "We know with community college a lot of students come to us because we’re an affordable option, and so the food security needs may be higher for our students. We feel confident of that."
“It’s very challenging right now. So I live with my parents so it's not as challenging for me, but I have friends who used to work part-time and they can’t right now," BCTC film student Narayan Upreti said. "So they struggle. So this is where it takes place, the heart of BCTC."
School officials say they want to make sure they’re supporting students beyond the classroom, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. Upreti says that extra care, goes a long way.
“There’s so much great resources out here to make sure struggling students will succeed," Upreti said. "That’s the purpose of being here. I’m feeling great being here and it’s like my second home."
In this case home is literally where the HEART is.
I’d you’d like to support the school’s food pantry they are asking for monetary donations online - click here.
