Food pantry opens at West Virginia community college

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) - A facility accustomed to opening minds opened a new door for the grand opening of a new food pantry.

The food pantry and clothing closet at Mountwest Community and Technical College has been in operation for several months at the school, but a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently marked a new location for the resource located in Room 354 at the college.

The pantry includes non-perishable food items as well as a variety of professional and casual clothing for men and women, said Dr. Candace Layne, a mental health counselor at the school, who co-organized the pantry.

“A lot of schools and universities are going more into the community, reaching into the community and helping,” Layne said. “If we can’t help our students, who else is going to? If we want students to stay here and be able to focus on education, we need to help students focus on their basic needs, for those who need it.”

Access to the pantry is referral based through Layne and pantry co-founder Jill Kelley, a student success counselor at Mountwest. Students may be referred to the Office of Counseling & Psychological Services by a faculty or staff member, Layne said.

The pantry had been operating basically out of a closet in the college, Layne said, which meant storage for the food and clothing was tight.

“We had room for shelves, but no racks,” Layne said. “We had totes, and when someone needed clothes, we were digging through them trying to find what they needed. Now, we have more shelves and everything’s organized by size. There’s so much space.”

Students at the school come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, which made the need for a pantry more prevalent.

“We needed to be proactive to help our students battle hunger and clothing needs on campus,” said Billie Brooks, vice president for student services. “This service helps meet the short-term needs of our students until they reach long-term independence.”

For more information on the food pantry, how students may access this resource or to make a donation, contact Candace Layne at 304-710-3388 or laynec@mctc.edu.

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Information from: The Herald-Dispatch, https://www.herald-dispatch.com