The Anita & Stan Maag Food & Nutrition Center is entering its fifth year of addressing food insecurity through food distributions on campus.<\/p>\n
SAN MARCOS \u2014 The Anita & Stan Maag Food & Nutrition Center at Palomar College has been named \u201cAgency of the Month\u201d for October 2022 by the North County Food Bank, a chapter of the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be part of the work to address food insecurity in North County. This recognition by the Food Bank validates that we are truly making a difference,\u201d said Dr. Star Rivera-Lacey, Palomar\u2019s Superintendent\/President. \u201cEducation is the most significant pathway to a life free of poverty and food insecurity, and our students are deserving of every opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Food & Nutrition Center is operated by Palomar\u2019s Office of Student Life & Leadership, whose Director, Sherry Titus, said that having access to nutritional support on campus helps hundreds of students every year.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur team here, led by Supervisor Pippa Pierce, has developed Palomar\u2019s own food distribution center into an absolutely essential, stigma-free resource on campus,\u201d said Titus. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful for the continued support of our campus community, as well as our partners like the North County Food Bank, which does such good work to make sure access to food isn\u2019t a barrier to student success on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recognition comes as the Food Bank prepares to launch its annual \u201cPack the Pantry\u201d food drive and fundraiser. This year, officials say, overhead costs are up across the board for food pantries\u2014including a 20 to 30 percent increase in the price of wholesale food.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled with our partnership with the college,\u201d said Chris Carter, Vice President of Development & Communications. \u201cSo many college students are facing food insecurity, and if you\u2019re food-insecure as a student, you\u2019re more likely to miss class, suffer academically and, in the worst case, drop out altogether\u2014which perpetuates the cycle of poverty in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"