For any student and anyone from the community, the Lamm and Toni DuBois-Walker Memorial Food Bank at Fullerton College offers services from housing, life skills, employment, and social services.
The food bank was established for Fullerton College students struggling to find nutritional food resources. But, after their collaboration with Pathways of Hope, the food bank now has more to offer than just-food.
Pathways of Hope was founded in 1975, as Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Service. Pathways of Hope is formed by people around the community who come together to help fight food insecurity.
Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable or nutritious food.
Pathways of Hope provides most of the donations that the food bank at Fullerton College receives.
“Our main mission is to end hunger and homelessness,” said Mary Esquivel, service navigator manager at Pathways of Hope. According to Esquivel, one truck filled with four pallets of food and produce comes in once a week.
Fullerton College also donates to the food bank. Fullerton has a Costco account which it uses to purchase snacks for students on campus. The snacks are part of the Grab and Go program.
The library provides the Grab and Go items for hungry students. At the circulation desk, there is a bucket where grab and go snacks are located. At times some faculty members also donate snacks to the grab and go when the bucket runs out of snacks at the circulation desk.
The Grab and Go items are also available in some department offices at Fullerton College. The grab and go items are also always available at the food bank.
The food bank’s partnership with Pathways of Hope has provided student volunteers with learning lessons and education on how to manage and run a food bank.
Pathways of Hope also provides classes and counseling to both students and those within the community. They offer classes on nutrition, gardening, and career counseling. Classes and counseling take place at the Hub of Hope, located in Fullerton.
A food program like the food bank is also provided Monday through Saturdays but not on Sundays.
For students or anyone that needs more information about the food bank at Fullerton, they can contact them via email at [email protected] or to the office located at the 1955 bungalow, near the pool.
The food bank is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12-2 p.m. and 4-6:30 p.m. Also on Thursdays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The food bank’s website has more information on its services.
For information on any of the services or how to volunteer, visit the Hub of Hope, located at 611 S. Ford Ave in Fullerton. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 1-4 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Their phone number is 714-680-3691. They also have a website for further information.
