Editors note: The Food Pantry hours have changed from “Mondays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m” to Mondays 2 to 4 p.m. according to Teresea Archaga.

Despite recent campus closures and shelter-in-place orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Medanos College Food Pantry will continue to remain open and serve students for the remainder of May and through July.

LMC’s Food Pantry, now operating with adjusted hours, continues to serve 30 to 40 students each day they operate, according to Director of Student Life and International Students’ Program Teresea Archaga, who has played a major role in the recent alterations to the pantry’s business operations.

Hours of operation have changed, like many of the other day-to-day operations at the college — the pantry will now be open Mondays from 2 to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. through June. The dates and times may be subject to change, so be sure to look at the pantry’s website to see when they are serving the community.

The pantry is open to all LMC students who provide their student ID number before getting a package. In accordance with the shelter-in-place mandate, students must leave campus immediately after picking up the prepackaged bags.

The Food Pantry has also continued hosting events in collaboration with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, a partner of the pantry.

“The food bank has been a partner of the LMC Pantry from the planning stages to implementation of the program. We currently participate in a college pantry collaborative with colleges and universities in our area,” said Archaga in an email.

The LMC Food Pantry and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano recently hosted two events together and plan to host more in the future. The partners hosted a community distribution which served 2,393 individuals and 500 households March 30. 

They also hosted an event in April in which they served 3,280 individuals and 692 households. Their next partnered event is set for May 18. 

As a result of newly required safety precautions, the Food Pantry has experienced various challenges in supporting the community. For example, the pantry now offers pre-packaged food, which “may increase waste as some individuals may not like all items included in the packages,” said Archaga.

Archaga noted that the Food Pantry has not received any donations, despite their need for help and funding. To help with funding, those interested in making monetary donations can do so through the LMC Foundation and listing ‘Pantry’ in the memo line. 

For those interested in visiting the LMC Food Pantry, make sure to do so during their special hours of operation. First-time visitors must also complete the intake application before arrival.