Austin Community College District (ACC) and community partners distributed more than 300,000 pounds of food in the academic year 2021-22 through regular drive-through food distributions.
The college worked alongside its community partners at the Central Texas Food Bank and Hill Country Community Ministries’ Fresh Food for All to sponsor a total of 51 food distributions that served 6,237 households, or 23,520 food-insecure individuals.
ACC enhanced its work with local nonprofit organizations in May 2020 to safely provide access to groceries and fresh produce through no-touch, primarily drive-thru, distributions at ACC campuses. Since then, a total of more than 1 million pounds of food to 16,907 households, or 66,433 individuals, has been distributed on ACC campuses.
“The Student Accessibility & Social Support Resources team is working with other stakeholders to develop short- and longer-term solutions to address student food insecurity. Solutions to address immediate food insecurity include expanding access to emergency food supplies through our campus-based mobile food distributions and expanding the college’s food pantry capacity through our Student Care Center,” says Steven Christopher, ACC associate vice chancellor for Student Accessibility & Social Support Resources (SASSR). “Additional projects include expanding access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and helping the college develop healthy and nutritious food and meal options for students while on campus.”
The college continues to partner with these organizations and currently hosts five mobile distributions with community partners at four campuses across the district each month, including:
- Cypress Creek Campus | Hill Country Community Ministries’ Fresh Food for All
- Hays Campus | Central Texas Food Bank
- Riverside Campus | Central Texas Food Bank
- San Gabriel Campus | Hill Country Community Ministries’ Fresh Food for All
Find upcoming food distribution information, including volunteer opportunities, here.