Laney College Continues to Address Food Insecurity Through New Food Pantry

Laney’s Basic Needs Center and Food Services are proud to announce that support for students continues with its Food Pantry, a permanent space in the Student Center opening in Fall 2020. Using a “grab and go” consumer model, students have access to needed nutrition and will be able to get food in a way that destigmatizes food insecurity.

From Spring 2020 through the end of Summer 2024, Laney College gained renown by through free meal distributions and pantry services. Milestones achieved during that time totaled the following in terms of combatting student hunger:

• • Total Meals Distributed: 206,626
• • Total Produce Items Distributed: 49,343
• • Total Pantry Items Distributed: 41,474

These figures and the establishment of the new Food Pantry highlight the college's unwavering commitment to addressing food insecurity and ensuring that students have access to essential nutrition. The ongoing efforts have positively impacted the student community, providing crucial support during challenging times.

One-Stop Saturday Once Again Supports Students

Once again, Laney staff is kicking off the student experience for Fall with two One-Stop Saturday events. The first was on August 10, with a second August 17 event which is typically more well-attended. Making all pre-semester services available in one trip to campus, the two days have typically drawn 400-600 students and put students in a position to concentrate solely on their classes on the first day of instruction. Staff across Student Services, in addition to areas such as the Library, Instruction Office, Food Services, and the Cashier’s office, provide support to the event as well as valuable information and answers to questions about the enrollment process, financial aid, available courses, and more!

Many thanks to the One-Stop Planning group as well as the various departments who have consistently come through year after year to make this well-attended event a success., including:

• Laney Welcome Center
• Admissions & Records
• Financial Aid
• Counseling
• Cashier’s Office
• Information Technology (Including CTIO Mehouelley’s Office)
• Learning Community Leads (e.g. EOPS, Calworks, Umoja, Puente, APASS, and more)

Tutoring Center Continues Innovative Opening Weeks of Technology Onboarding & Support for Students

For a second year, the Laney College Tutoring Center, under the leadership of Jennifer Gerry and Dean Beth Maher, is kicking off the semester by holding orientations to make students familiar with Laney/Peralta technology. These onboarding sessions are for new students or for those needing a refresher. The support includes orientations on essential technology, offering general tech support to ensure students are prepared for a successful semester. Those wanting further information should visit A-105 or call (510) 464-3155, though all academic support (Math Lab, Writing Center, etc.) may be accessed via the QR code above.

This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Rudy Besikof, Laney College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. To view it as a PDF, click here.