CCC 'Campus Cabinet' holding grand opening

Food for students who need it will be at Clovis Community College's "Campus Cabinet," which is having its grand opening Thursday at 10 a.m.

According to a news release from CCC's Director of Communication and Marketing, Nicolle Holcomb, the grand opening is part of CCC's Community College Month events.

Holcomb writes the Campus Cabinet was formed by CCC faculty and staff who recognized issues of food insecurity for CCC students and community members.

Committee members worked on grant opportunities to fund the startup of the Campus Cabinet and were successful in obtaining $27,000 from the New Mexico Higher Education Department's Student Food Security Grant. The Campus Cabinet was also awarded a Cold Storage Grant which allowed for the purchase of an industrial freezer. In addition to grant funding, the Campus Cabinet has benefited from food drives on campus and donations from community members.

Holcomb added the Campus Cabinet works closely with the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico, which has provided produce, eggs, and snacks for distribution to CCC students and staff members. The Campus Cabinet also works with local grocery stores to purchase food items for distribution.

According to Holcomb, the Campus Cabinet has distributed 5,000 pounds of food to students. In the coming months, the Campus Cabinet will be providing produce through the CCC Hope Garden, which is located on CCC's campus and has several raised garden beds for growing vegetables.

The public is invited to Thursday's grand opening of the Campus Cabinet. The Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce will be on site at 10 a.m. for a ribbon cutting.

Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Campus Cabinet will have Open House hours for community members to see the space and get more information about the food pantry. The Campus Cabinet is located to the left of the main entrance of the CCC library.