Food pantry relocate and name change
Illinois Valley Community College is expanding its campus food pantry to serve more students and is giving it a new name.
The Eagle's Peak will be housed in CTC-202R, a resource room on the second floor of the Peter Miller Community Technology Center between the offices of Career Services and Counseling. The site was chosen because it is accessible and conveniently located just down the corridor from other key support services such as Project Success, Continuing Education, Adult Education and Special Populations departments. An elevator to the main floor lobby is nearby.
A micro-pantry had been shelved in the IVCC Foundation Office, but stores and storage were limited and student need was growing beyond its supply, said Crystal Credi, IVCC Special Populations coordinator. “More students need something more robust than a quick bite to eat at lunch,” she said.
"Surveys show that students sometimes eat less, skip meals, or do not have the means to purchase an ample food supply. Circumstances can also put community food pantries out of reach because those students lack transportation or can’t come when the pantries are open," Credi said.
The new food resource center will open Aug. 16, the day classes begin, and is available to current IVCC students and students enrolled in Illinois High School diploma courses and English as a Second Language courses. Hours and operation policies will be finalized and announced through ivcc.edu/specialpopulations. The room will be staffed by student workers and staff volunteers who undergo training in health and nutrition guidelines.
Students will check in to shop, choosing from an array of canned foods, shelf-stable foods, cereals, snacks and non-perishable goods. They can choose enough for an afternoon snack or fill a bag with a week’s groceries.
The Eagle's Peak will also provide more choice than IVCC’s traditional food drives, Credi noted. Though successful, the drives resulted in a random selection and nutrition value, and items were boxed uniformly without regard to individual tastes and needs.
IVCC President Dr. Tracy Morris said The Eagle's Peak culminates a long effort. “We have been working to identify ways we can continue to support our students as they face food insecurity. Food insecurity is a growing challenge for so many students and having an option on campus will support our students in new and meaningful ways," Morris said.
Dr. Morris thanked everyone who made the food pantry a reality, including River Bend Food Bank for partnering with IVCC to make The Eagles’ Peak possible. River Bend is covering the cost of food.
The Davenport, Iowa-based River Bend Food Bank, which stocks hunger-relief agencies across 23 counties in Iowa and Illinois, supplies IVCC through the Hall Township Food Pantry in Spring Valley.