Students experiencing food and housing insecurity will now have access to healthy, ready-to-eat meals free of charge courtesy of a partnership between El Camino College and a third party provider.
A minimum of 50 pre-packaged microwavable meals will be delivered to the Basic Needs Center on a weekly basis through the company Everytable following the approval of a contract during the Oct. 16 Board of Trustees meeting.
Everytable is a food vendor whose mission is to make fresh, nutritious food more accessible by providing pre-packaged meals at a discounted price in low-income areas.
According to the meeting agenda, the meals will be prioritized for students who are experiencing housing and food insecurity. The Warrior Pantry, a branch of the Basic Needs Center, will provide the food for students.
The projects goal is to provide these meals for unhoused students to sustain them through the weekends and other times when the Warrior Panty and other on-campus nutritional services might be closed.
The contract begins Oct. 17, 2023 and ends June 30, 2024. The cost will be $1,700 per month and is set up not to exceed $17,000 per year.
Trustee Brett C.S. Roberts, said he has experience with Everytable and was more than willing to vote in favor of the new contract.
“For me, it was a no-brainer to jump at voting for that because we can make sure you can be the best student you can be when you have food in your stomach,” Roberts said. “I support that wholeheartedly.”
The Basic Needs Center is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m. The Drive-Thru is also open Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
