No Aggie Should Go Hungry
Texas A&M University and the Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB) encourage the university’s students, faculty and staff who are food insecure to visit the 12th Can Food Pantry, which has precautions in place to protect visitors from COVID-19.
The pantry is open for distribution Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Thursday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
September is Hunger Action Month. The food bank this week is united with Feeding America, the national food bank network, and its extensive network of food banks across the country to raise awareness on the issue of hunger.
The 12th Can Food Pantry partners with the BVFB to collect and distribute food from the campus pantry to Texas A&M students, faculty and staff who are food insecure.
“We do not want those who need food to suffer in silence,” said the Brazos Valley Food Bank in a press release earlier this month. “We do not want those who need assistance with food to worry about the food pantries being unsafe. No one should sacrifice his or her health and needed nutrition because of safety fears around the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The food bank has shared safety protocols from Feeding America with all of the food pantries, officials said, including procedures like drive-thru pantries, volunteers wearing masks and gloves, and drive-thru pickup.
Texas A&M University is an essential partner in the fight against hunger, according to BVFB Executive Director Theresa Mangapora. “Texas A&M is the largest employer in the Brazos Valley and a hub of economic development, learning and culture in the area. Students make up at least 70 percent of the food bank’s volunteer base,” she said, adding that the 12th Can food pantry is run totally by Aggies.
“While COVID has changed everything, the BVFB’s partnership with Texas A&M remains crucial,” Mangapora continued. “Those who were food insecure before COVID still face this issue. Really what COVID did was unmask how close to hunger so many more of us are. New faces are visiting the pantries because of COVID. Community support is vital.”
Information about the food pantries across Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Robertson and Washington Counties, can be found on the Brazos Valley Food Bank website. This information is also available in Spanish.
About the Brazos Valley Food Bank: The Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB) utilizes food (close to 7 million pounds), funds ($2.6 million) and friends (over 12,000 volunteer hours) to bring the Brazos Valley closer to being hunger-free. BVFB solves hunger today by distributing nutritious food (87%) through partner agencies that feed people in their communities. Where there are unmet needs, BVFB provides programs — food filled BackPacks for children; on campus School Food Pantries for older students; Senior Bags; Mobile Food Pantries for rural communities, and Screen & Intervene services in health settings to identify patients dealing with hunger. BVFB is ending tomorrow with strategies that educate, empower and prevent hunger – benefits assistance for safety net programs; nutrition education to SNAP-eligible populations and Together We Grow.
