Snead State Community College benefitted from funding received by Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute for the College’s Parson Pantry program.

Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute received a grant of over $520,000 from the ECMC Foundation to support the Alabama Campus Coalition for Basic Needs (ACCBN). This funding aims to help students succeed in higher education by addressing their basic nutritional needs.

As part of this initiative, Snead State Community College has received $10,000 through a no-cost extension of the original ECMC Foundation grant. The funds will be applied to the Parson Pantry which provides food and hygiene items at no cost to students in need. This pantry plays an essential role in alleviating food insecurity among Snead State students, ensuring they can focus on their education without worrying about basic necessities.

“It allows us to expand out efforts to meet the needs of our students, ensuring their basic needs are met which, in turn, helps remove barriers, so students can be as successful as possible while here at Snead State. This support has a direct and meaningful impact on their lives,” said Dr. Caitlin Dickerson, Parson Pantry Coordinator.

The ECMC Foundation grant represents the organization’s first philanthropic investment at Auburn University and will fund a two-year pilot of Auburn’s Hunger Solutions Institute’s Campus Food Security Initiative. This initiative, part of the larger Hunger Free Higher Ed (HFHE) program, incorporates research, capacity building, and networking to promote zero-hunger campuses across Alabama and beyond.
“We are thrilled to partner with ECMC Foundation,” said Jane DiFolco Parker, vice president for development and president of the Auburn University Foundation. “Like Auburn, the foundation recognizes the importance of addressing food insecurity, especially when it affects students. Their commitment to philanthropy will have a significant impact on people throughout Alabama and the nation.”