Alpena Community College students now have a new on-campus resource for food and basic necessities: a free market pantry in the Besser Technical Center. The market opened this fall to help fight hunger and provide healthier meal options for students.
Access is limited to ACC students, who scan a student ID at the door. An app also allows students to enter the space, according to Lisa Blumenthal, ACC’s marketing and data specialist. Students may take what they need while being mindful of other students who rely on the pantry.
What students can find at the market
The pantry includes fresh food, shelf-stable pantry items, frozen food and refrigerated food. Hygiene supplies also are available.
The project was funded initially through a $99,700 Hunger Free Campus Activities grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, or MiLEAP. ACC was one of eight Michigan colleges and universities to receive funding through the program, which was open to public and private colleges across the state.
ACC staff members Lisa Blumenthal and Kristen Wisniewski, the college’s director of workforce grants, led the grant writing and put the funding into action. The grant also supports nutrition education for students.
Cooking classes add support beyond groceries
Local registered nutritionist Jess Krawczak has been leading cooking classes and workshops for ACC students. The sessions cover kitchen basics, including how to cut vegetables safely and prepare a balanced plate.
“Some of them have been kitchen basics, so teaching them how to appropriately cut up vegetables, safely cut up vegetables and learning about balanced plate, and really being able to cook for themselves for that first time,” Wisniewski said.
Wisniewski said many students have not had that experience before. The grant is being used to buy frozen and shelf-stable food so the college can maintain a core pantry inventory after the grant ends while relying on future support for fresh items.
When the grant funding is exhausted, the ACC Foundation is expected to take over most of the pantry’s funding. Donations of food and money will help keep it stocked. A Foundation account dedicated solely to the food pantry is available for donors who want to support the program.
Meal cards and gift cards also available
Grant funding also paid for meal cards for the Lumberjack Shack, an on-campus dining option for students and staff. The cards can be provided to students who need a meal but cannot afford one.
Wisniewski also worked with Meijer to obtain gift cards restricted to food purchases. Recipe cards from MyMichigan Health are available in the market, helping students match recipes with ingredients on hand.
Bella Lear, a second-year English major, told the ACC Board of Trustees that the market has made a difference for her.
“I come from a very low income family, so I was kind of used to living off soup and ramen,” she said. “But now that we have the new market at ACC and the new pantry and the cooking classes...I'm waking up better. I feel more energized because I have a more healthy, balanced diet.”
ACC President Don MacMaster praised Blumenthal and Wisniewski for getting the pantry running, calling it an important effort to help students in need.