Cerritos College Hits Milestone Serving 20,000 Families, Distributing Over One-Half Million Pounds of Food
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 24, 2020
Media Contact: Aya Abelon, Public Affairs
NORWALK, Calif. – November 24, 2020 – Cerritos College reached a significant milestone serving more than 20,000 families through its monthly food drives. During the health crisis alone, the College’s food drives have served 11,270 families a total of 665,000 lbs. of food –more than one-half million pounds or 332 tons.
Prior to COVID-19, the College hosted walk-up food distributions on campus bimonthly, but modified its distribution format to no-contact, drive-thru events to feed students and families. On average, the campus served 500 households per month before the pandemic, and has doubled its outreach to approximately 1,300 households each month. It takes more than 50 staff and student volunteers to make each food distribution events possible. Since 2017, the College has partnered with the L.A. Regional Food Bank to distribute free food and resources to students and the community.
Food and basic needs insecurity is a persistent problem for Cerritos College students. According to the 2019 #RealCollege Survey Report conducted by The Hope Center, 46% of Cerritos College students who responded to the survey experienced food insecurity within 30 days prior to taking the survey.
To meet growing needs, Cerritos College expanded its basic needs support services through its Falcon’s Nest to provide centralized support services for students facing basic need insecurities. With the support of Falcon’s Nest, students can access on- and off-campus resources, including the monthly food drives.
The College has also increased its student support offerings to include housing for students facing home insecurity through The Village. Students can also access technology assistance, emergency aid funds, and more resources to assist students with unexpected financial challenges so they can stay on track to complete their educational goals.
"Our ability to serve 20,000 families in our community is a special honor. We are committed to helping our students and the community during these difficult times,” said Dr. Jose Fierro, president/superintendent, Cerritos College.“ Addressing basic needs insecurities is part of our mission to support our students and offer resources to ensure they are successful in their studies.”
Cerritos College will host a food drive on November 25 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and on
December 16 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Visit https://www.cerritos.edu/basic-needs/ for more information.
d
-END-
Stay Connected