If you have ever been on College of Alameda's campus, chances are you have seen a small table outside of the Student Center with a wide variety of groceries. Maybe you’ve been inside the building and saw a long table with various containers full of tasty food. This food giveaway is part of an event known as "Tasty Tuesdays". Tasty Tuesdays help fight student food insecurity by providing delicious meals from local businesses and providing fresh produce from the college’s garden.
Over the summer, CoA President Melanie Dixon worked hard behind the scenes to get the budget spread out for better food services. Thanks to her, College of Alameda has “Tasty Tuesday” every weekday from 8:30am to 3pm! While Tasty Tuesdays previously worked with local businesses to get meals on campus, the new food service will be working with the catering business Pacific Fine Food, and will serve revolving meals that were based on the feedback that was given over the summer. Like before, there is always a meat and veggie option for students as well. There will even be breakfast available from 8:30am to 11:30am for the morning students who may need a “pick-me-up” before class.
The meals are made off-campus and are only in limited supplies, meaning that food service could either end early or start later, depending on the supplies available and the demand for meals. So if you’d like to help keep this wonderful opportunity on our campus, be sure to tell a friend about the food service and enjoy a tasty meal together!
There are still FREE bi-monthly special editions of “The Market” two Tuesdays a month, where students can pick up groceries and browse for clothing. These special editions of “The Market" take place on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, from 11:30am to 1:30pm outside Building F, the Student Center.
There has been a bit of discussion about the cafeteria upstairs, known as the Cougar’s Den, which has been closed since the 2020 pandemic. It has various tables for students to sit down and eat with friends or play games. There's also a small stand advertising the many clubs here at CoA, such as the LGBTQ+ Task Force and our student government.
Jeremy Simmons, the coordinator of Basic Needs at CoA, understands that many students feel shy about asking for a free meal, but he’s here to reassure you. “We want to make it easy for you!” he said while we discussed the process of receiving a meal.
All you need to grab a free meal is your current Student ID. During previous runs of Tasty Tuesday, students who did not have their ID with them were allowed to show their school email/Canvas accounts as identification, but this exception will no longer apply. You will need to make sure to bring your Student ID card with the current semester sticker from College of Alameda. This is done to ensure that current College of Alameda students are getting prioritized and can grab a meal, as there is a limited stock. This rule will apply to all services offered at the Student Help Center for the same reason.
Even if you are not interested in grabbing a meal from the Student Help Center, there are other services available that offer a variety of food and support. CoA will still offer fresh produce along with free tote bags every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. It will be available from 12:30pm to 3:30pm as before, and will be available outside of the F-Building/Student Help Center for students to shop from. There will be items such as shelf-stable milk, rice, beans, fruits, and vegetables offered in limited amounts per person.
The Pantry also remains open every weekday except Tuesdays. It is in room F-122, and there are shopping baskets outside the door for you to look around and select your items. Items such as used clothing for men, women, and children, shelf-stable food products, as well as hygiene products such as laundry detergent, toothpaste, soap, and menstrual products. There is a limit to what you can take, but it is to make sure everyone can have a chance of receiving these products.
