(Photo by: Jasmine Mills)

There are JCCC students who face more pressure than tests and homework. They face the daily reality of missed meals or not knowing when or where the next meal will come.

The Student Basic Needs Center aims to raise awareness of student hardship on campus and assist individuals facing difficulties.  

“A lot of times, people may forget that students have to deal with things other than probably their schoolwork that could affect how they do in school,” Robbie Miller, Coordinator of Student Basic Needs, said.

The Student Basic Needs Center’s Cav Cupboard will host a Mobile Pop-Up Pantry at the Olathe Health Education Center on Tuesday, March 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. JCCC students currently enrolled in a class can take 10 non-perishable items and five personal care items. Students must bring their JCCC ID card. 

“If they’re food insecure or if they’re housing insecure, just any other type of hardships that I think just people in general go through. That’s what we’re here to assist students with the best that we can.”

The Cav Cupboard is a campus food pantry that provides resources for students experiencing food insecurity. It provides food supplementation and household items for currently enrolled students. 

“Food insecurity encompasses not having regular access to food. It’s not necessarily that some people don’t eat. Some people may not be able to eat, but it could be maybe you have one meal per day, or maybe you are only able to afford to eat a couple times a week. So, all of those things could lead to someone being food insecure,” Miller said. “So that’s where we try to step in with our food pantry to assist students who may be experiencing food insecurity.”

The Student Basic Needs Center, in addition to the Cav Cupboard, provides the MealSHARE Program, the Student Assistance Fund, the Equipment Loan Program, housing assistance, transportation assistance and Social Services support. 

Ayush Shrestha, a student ambassador for the Student Basic Needs Center, told The Messenger that he appreciates everything the Student Basic Needs Center provides, and he is here to help students. 

“I’m also taking part to give information to the students who need help or who are new to the campus–I definitely like helping the students,” Shrestha said. 

Miller also wanted to clarify why the Mobile Pop-up is being held at the Olathe Health Center. 

“Those students are off-campus, but they can still use the food pantry on campus, and maybe between class schedules or just their overall schedules, they can’t make it to the main campus,” Miller said. “It’s just a way to reach more JCCC students who probably cannot literally get to the food pantry on the main campus.”

Cav Cupboard allows students to pick up 15 items once a week. Miller wanted to reiterate that students who attend the Mobile Pop-Up in Olathe will also be eligible to use the Cav Cupboard on campus for that week. 

Questions? Stop by the Student Basic Needs Center, GEB 153, call 913-469-8500 ext. 3757 during business hours, Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., or email.