Become a Part of the Answer in QCC’s Fight Against Food Insecurity

WORCESTER, MA—November 14, 2018—On November 13, Quinsigamond Community College launched a crowdsourcing, fundraising event, “When Hunger Growls, Growl Back!,” with a goal of raising $10,000 to help fund the college’s food pantry and combat hunger issues on its campus. 

Acknowledging the needs of its student population after an April 2018 study by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab found that 49 percent of QCC students had low to very low food security, QCC opened a food pantry on its main campus (670 West Boylston Street, Worcester) to help those in the college community. Completely funded by donations, the food pantry began as a small operation earlier this summer, quickly ramping up as the fall semester began. Today, the pantry is consistently feeding well over 150 students, with no signs of slowing down.

According to QCC President Dr. Luis G. Pedraja, “The need to keep the pantry up and running is greater than ever. The response has been tremendous, which shows how necessary this is to our students. We want to ensure that we can fill this need now and in the future.”

The college’s fundraising campaign will end on Giving Tuesday (November 27), a day historically when many in the nation give to their charity of choice.

“We never want to turn away anyone in our QCC family who is hungry because we don’t have enough food. We cannot effectively nourish our students’ minds if their bodies are not nourished. As you prepare for your Thanksgiving celebration, take a moment and think of those who may not have that same opportunity. Please visit our campaign page, make a contribution, and help us reach our goal,” Dr. Pedraja said.

For more information, contact Josh Martin, Director of Institutional Communications at 508.854.7513 or jmartin [at] qcc.mass.edu