The annual Friendsgiving Thanksgiving distribution was held by Los Medanos College’s Marketplace and Basic Needs Program on Nov. 26 and 27 in the Student Union Conference Center. Various communities on campus came together to sponsor the event including Student Life, Umoja Scholars Program, LMCAS, Honors, Equity & Inclusion and DSPS.
Around 120 baskets were prepared for students who signed up to receive a turkey, stuffing mix, macaroni and cheese, gravy, various canned vegetables and many more ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner.
Students also received cake mix, vegetable oil and paper towels which were all donated by the learning communities who helped sponsor the distribution. LMCAS donated the bags that held the various goods.
Basic Needs Student Ambassador Edgar Sanchez said gift cards were included in the bags with the goal to give students access to foods of their choice in case they had any dietary restrictions.
Additional resources were also provided at the distribution such as donated winter clothing items coordinated by Student Life Ambassador Jordan Ramey.
Health education specialists from Contra Costa Health Mauricio Guerrero Villanueva and Ana Villalobos gave out recipes and provided information on resources like local food banks and CalFresh.
They prepared chimichurri chickpea salad and a chocolate banana applesauce cake for students to sample and encouraged them to make at home.
“We want to give students a chance to learn a little bit more about recipes that are easy to make and try them as well so they can see that things that are healthy can also be delicious,” Guerrero Villanueva said.
He said that these recipes are perfect for college students as they require minimal time and money to make them.
Villalobos also emphasized how healthy meals can still be very tasty saying, “Sometimes people think healthy recipes are complicated and they don’t taste good and we’d like to prove the opposite.”
Many of the recipes utilized ingredients that can be found in the Marketplace and food pantries like canned goods.
Basic Needs Coordinator Magela Ohare said the distribution was planned to be a welcoming experience for students to listen to good music and be provided with a multitude of resources they may need for the holiday season.
“Basically [the goal is] making people feel comfortable and getting the resources they need,” Ohare said. “That’s just been our overall vision with the Marketplace and Basic Needs, it’s an inviting place where people feel welcome and supported by the campus.”
Sanchez appreciated the college’s effort to provide resources on campus for students to celebrate the holiday with food.
“When I was a kid my mom used to wait in lines in the food bank to get a turkey so I think it’s amazing that we’re doing that here at LMC,” Sanchez said.
Ohare emphasized the importance of a supportive community in the Friendsgiving Thanksgiving distribution.
“It really is a campus adventure, so you’ve got people from across the campus supporting,” Ohare said.
