The Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters donated 90 cases of food to the Long Beach City College (LBCC) Viking Vault food pantries on Thursday, Feb. 3.
The LBCC Viking Vault food pantries were established by the office of Student Health at the Liberal Arts and Pacific Coast campuses to provide free nutritional food for students in need to eat on campus or for meal preparation outside of campus, according to LBCC.
“LBCC has really ramped it up when making efforts to help our students who are in need,” said LBCCD Superintendent-President Mike Muñoz in a statement. “We welcome this wonderful gift from Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters right before the start of spring semester.”
Among the donations were also 5,000 KN-95 masks for students.
“Many of our students have been negatively impacted by the pandemic,” said LBCCD Board of Trustees President Uduak-Joe Ntuk in a statement. “We appreciate the generosity of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters. This food and high-quality masks will help ease the burden of hunger for students who face food insecurity and help them be safer this semester.”
The food comes from a one-day collaborative food drive between the Postal Service-Cal Fed and the Council for Carpenters, who donated non-perishable can and dry goods, according to LBCC.
The Council of Carpenters have been collecting food specifically for LBCC students since 2018, Frank Zambrano, of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters said in a statement, noting that many of the union’s members have children “who struggle through the college system.”
“This community is important to the Carpenters Union,” Zambrano said. “At this college, these students are the future of America. And as Union Carpenters, we build America. We look forward to continue to build this partnership with LBCC and work together to provide for Long Beach City College students and make sure that they reach their fullest potential and goals.”
For those looking for more information on donating non-perishable food items, toiletries or financial assistance, the LBCC Foundation can be contacted at 1-562-938-4134 or Student Health Services at 1-562-938-3032.
