Hancock College begins free weekly food distribution for students

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - A long-running program that provides free weekly food for Allan Hancock College students resumed on Thursday.

With the start of the new fall semester taking place earlier this week, the college's "Food Share" program returned after being off the past three months due to summer break.

The weekly giveaway has been going on for nearly nine years and takes place each Thursday at both Hancock College campuses, in Santa Maria and Lompoc.

All Hancock College students, who are taking both credit and non-credit courses, are eligible to receive food.

"We partner with the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County to get this food for our students, in collaboration with certain activities and the basic needs center here on campus," said Jannet Rios, Hancock College Basic Needs Supervisor. "Our students are very busy already, going from class to class, maybe going to work. We want to make sure that students have easy access to food right on campus. That way, they don't have to worry about where they're going to get their next meal."

On Thursday, the distribution was full of students throughout the entire three-hour duration, with each allowed to choose which food items they wanted to take home.

Through its partnership with Food Bank, the Food Share program provides students with a wide variety of items to choose from, including fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy products, and non-perishable food.

"It almost feels like a grocery trip," said Rios. "We want to make sure our students have what they need at home without feeling like they have to make time or find the budget to go to the grocery store. All of that is so that they can be academic and successful in the classroom."

Food Share takes place through the fall and spring semesters while class is in session.

In Santa Maria, it is held on the patio of Building G from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and on the Lompoc Valley Center campus from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m, outside Building 2.

For more information about the Food Share program, click here .

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