CCC getting money to stock food pantry

Clovis Community College will be getting a grant for $27,000 to help students in need with food.

The money comes from a portion of $900,000 New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED) has awarded to colleges and universities across the state to ensure that students have adequate food and nutrition to succeed in school, according to a news release from the NMHED.

The agency’s Student Food Security Grants were awarded to Clovis Community College’s “CCC Campus Cabinet” and 14 other campus-based student food security projects and are anticipated to benefit more than 15,000 students. The grant funding is part of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Food Initiative, which directed over $24 million this year across eight state agencies, the largest hunger appropriation in state history.

“Having access to enough nutritious food is often a silent struggle for college students, but one that has a big impact on their well-being inside and outside of the classroom. Thanks to Gov. Lujan Grisham’s Food Initiative and the support of our partners, New Mexico is stepping up to address this issue not just by putting food on the shelves, but by creating an ongoing culture of food justice and education on college and university campuses,” Higher Education Deputy Secretary Patricia Trujillo said.

The $27,000 Clovis Community College will receive will not only go to the on-campus food pantry but will also support a community garden to provide fresh produce and help with an on-campus food drive.