A new service has been brought to MCCC called the Grab and Go. This service offers snacks to students in need at no cost. The Grab and Go is located in the waiting room of Disability Services in Founders Hall.
Amy Ockerman, Disability Services coordinator, said students will find signs in the waiting room with QR codes. Ockerman said that scanning the QR code will lead students to a website where they will be asked if they need additional services.
Ockerman and Kristine Gerlach, Disability Services coordinator, oversee this service.
Ockerman said she and Gerlach observed the need for this new service.
“It was an idea that came out of seeing some student need,” Ockerman said.
Gerlach said the Grab and Go is beneficial for students on campus.
Gerlach said, “I think the Grab and Go provides a great option for students in need to have something to eat on the go.”
Ockerman said she and Gerlach contacted Josh Myers, executive director of The Foundation, to get the service started.
Ockerman said their goal was to help students who might need snacks between classes and may not have access to food or money.
She said there are no qualifications for students to meet in order to use this service. If a student is hungry and cannot afford to buy food, they can go there and take what they need.
Gerlach said some students may need the Grab and Go snacks because the food supplied by the pantry may not be realistic for them.
“Also, some students may not have a kitchen, so the foods you find in the main food pantry may not be as useful,” Gerlach said.
Myers said the snacks are funded through The Foundation and Heck’s Market.
“These snacks are not donated; we purchase them from Meijer’s grocery store,” he said. “We are very fortunate that several donors give directly to Heck’s Market.”
“Amy and I made a shopping list for Josh before he went to the store. We tried to focus on healthy foods that could be eaten immediately or were microwaveable,” Gerlach said. “All students have access to a microwave in the college’s cafeteria. We have already had several students use the ‘Grab and Go’ food pantry and believe it is so important to meeting the needs of our students.”
Myers said fellow students and community members can also donate to the Grab and Go through the MCCC website.
Myers said nonperishable snacks may be donated directly to the Grab and Go, and potential donors should remember that this program’s snacks are intended to be quick and easy to eat.
Some available snacks are macaroni and cheese cups, fruit cups, crackers, granola bars, chips and Slim Jims.
Myers said snacks are available during regular MCCC business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Ockerman said students can contact her, Gerlach, or any staff available in the department if they have any dietary restrictions that prevent them from eating the available food.
Meyers said if this service succeeds, they may find other areas around campus to add a Grab and Go.
Donations can be made at https://www.monroeccc.edu/foundation/give
