By Soleil Cardenas
The Associated Student Union’s food pantry is open to all students.
It has been revamped and is filled with all-new snacks.
According to the ASU, any student enrolled in classes this spring semester can be served at the pantry.
They are not requiring students to be paid ASU members, although they are asking that students fill out a consent form.
The food pantry is one of many resources on campus.
Many students have struggled with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The food pantry can benefit not only those students, but also hungry students who aren’t able to bring lunch to school.
There are many different types of snacks available.
The pantry includes items that need to be heated up such as mac and cheese, oatmeal and Cup o’ Noodles.
They also have smaller snacks such as nutritional bars, fruit and granola, Oreos, chips and Nutella sticks.
They also provide beverages such as Gatorade, Capri-Sun and water.
Originally, the pantry was giving four items per student and recently they switched to three items per student.
The pantry has been experiencing high demand and now will be giving out one large item, one small item, and one beverage to each student who visits the pantry.
Switching from four items to three may help to increase the amount of students they can provide snacks for.
It may also prolong the supply of snacks between restocks. ELAC ASU plans to keep this resource on campus for years to come.
Although the pandemic is affecting everyone as much as when it first started, students are still struggling and need these resources.
ASU food pantry worker Rosa Mendoza, said the food pantry program is going great, 109 students, (non-credit and credited students) have registered so far.
It can be a struggle for students to remember to bring food or eat a big meal before heading to campus.
The pantry can help students, who just need a little snack to get through the day.
The food pantry is located in F5-214 and will be there for the rest of the spring semester. As of right the pantry hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. Friday.
Although, hours are subject to change as the pantry is short-staffed. New hours will be released on the ELAC ASU Instagram.
For updates on this and other ASU resources and activities, visit their Instagram @elac.asu.