Author: kellerrb

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What is Fresh Food Friday?

What is Fresh Food Friday?

Fresh Food Friday is pantry service we provide the first Friday of every month. It is currently a two hour pantry held from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Coming soon in the fall, it’ll be a one hour pantry every first Friday. At FFF’s we only provide fresh produce from our garden or from Linn Benton Food Share, these differ from the Shopping Style Pantries where we walk clients through the pantry to get dry goods.

Why do we have a pantry dedicated to produce?

Ask yourself, how often you eat something that has come directly from a tree, the ground or a plant? Did you eat a fruit or vegetable today? Yesterday? Students don’t have easy access to affordable produce. That’s why we provide produce at our shopping style pantries as well as our Fresh Food Friday’s. The last year we learned a lot at the HSRC and our goal is for everyone who walks away from our Fresh Food Friday to have a few days worth of fresh produce.

Students and fresh produce? Is it an actual need?

To put it simply, yes! We also connect students to a resource here in Oregon called SNAP that can get them a monthly allowance to buy expensive items like produce. 

Below are some real examples of students expressing interest in produce.

“A few weeks ago, we helped a student sign up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps), connecting her to $192 in monthly grocery money. She was emotional as she shared that she’d been getting all her food from the dollar store and was so excited to be able to afford some fresh produce and buys salads again.” – Miguel Arellano Sanchez, Basic Needs Navigator at HSRC

“Having SNAP has been so great. I am less stressed about buying food. My month started again last week. I invited my friends over for dinner this Sunday and I even bought asparagus & salad!” – Student

– Breonna

 

 

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Inside the HSRC – Breonna

My major is Liberal Studies, with the theme of Human Rights and Government. Liberal Studies is a program where you can design your own major by creating a plan with 2+ majors in it. I’m currently studying Ethnic Studies, Women Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as Political Science. I bring this up because my major is an intersectional lens on how government systems can affect marginalized communities. The Human Services Resource Center is financially supported through Oregon State University, which is a federally funded institution that works with multiple minority groups, and identities unique to a university like first-generation students. In my major, I learn about textbook definitions of poverty, homelessness, race, gender, sex, sexuality and many other identities. At the Human Services Resource Center, I see these situations actually happen in front of my eyes. They don’t always appear the way classes say they do.

Since working at the HSRC, I’ve noticed that people from all walks of life come in to use the food pantry, the textbook lending program, laundry facilities, or meet with our Basic Needs coordinator. There is no uniform, cookie-cutter description for what food insecurity looks like. My position is the Food Pantry Volunteer Liasion, I work directly with volunteers and train them how to stock the pantry or how to work food pantry days. I work with university organizations to host food drives or bringing in more regular volunteers. I walk clients through the pantry and explain our point system and every time it’s a different experience. I make emergency food boxes for people who come in. The one huge lesson, I’ve really taken away is that struggling materializes in many different ways. It’s not always the people who’d think it is. Often times, especially with college students, food insecurity and houselessness are invisible. It’s sometimes easy to hide that you need help. This has taught me that there is never a wrong time to tell people about the Human Services Resource Center.

P.S. If you’re reading this, November of 2018, we have a surplus of all kinds of squash at Champinefu Lodge. Please come get some free squash.

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Get To Know Our Staff: Breonna

Name: Breonna

Pronouns: She/Her

HSRC Job Title: Volunteer Food Pantry Liaison

Major/minor: Human Rights and Government with a minor in Social Justice

Career Aspirations: I hope to help those who don’t always have the power to help themselves on a personal and/or bureaucratic level. I’m not sure what that exactly looks like yet, but I want to help people.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC? I wanted to work at the HSRC to get more involved with the Oregon State community as well as translate my major into a career. I believe people fall into unfortunate circumstances often times at no fault of their own and I feel obligated to help, however possible.

What will you be working on? I’ll be working on recruiting volunteers to help at our food pantries. I hope to inspire volunteers to return and see the difference they’re making while working hands-on in their community. I’ll also be working with organizations to host various food drives throughout the year.

What do you like to do in your free time? I don’t come across free time often but when I do I like to have board game nights with friends. It’s nostalgic playing childhood games and a casual way to hang out with friends without spending money! I also love plants. I like to visit Susan’s Garden and Coffee Shop. 

What’s your favorite yummy and cheap meal that you like to make? I love cottage cheese stuffed tomatoes. Scoop out the insides of a tomato into a bowl, fry some veggies (I like to do mushrooms, onions and sometimes bell peppers) combine all of that with the cottage cheese, stuff the tomato and then finish it off with a 10 minute broil in the oven. Ahhh-mazing.

Do you have any tips for students on how to save money? I have a money jar that I put spare change or dollars in. If I have a few dollar bills, I just toss it into the jar. It has really helped me when I’ve been desperate for money.

What are your favorite things to do in Corvallis? My favorite thing to do in Corvallis is going to Avery Park when the weather is nice. You can swim in the river, hammock at the park or walk through the rose garden.

Where is your favorite spot to relax on campus? The College of Liberal Arts has to have one of my favorite lounges. I like the quiet atmosphere and the location.

What is your favorite movie and why? My favorite movie is Moulin Rouge, I love Baz Luhrmann movies. The singing and hopeless romance get me in my feels. It’s also just a very different plot than most musical love stories.