“Fill the Van” food drive helps support EMCC students | Local News [Video]

ORONO — A food drive for Eastern Maine Community College students will help to keep minds sharp and bellies full.

Shelf-stable foods, along with produce, hygiene and baby products, and monetary donations were collected and loaded into an EMCC van, totaling over 350 items that will be donated to the EMCC Food Pantry.

“It means everything to our students. It’s very hard to succeed if you’re hungry or if you’re going home and you know you don’t have food for your family that day,” said Cathy Ryder, AmeriCorps Vista for EMCC. “Everyone needs a helping hand once in a while, there’s no shame in that, and this is solidarity, not charity. This is students helping students.”

This was the pantry’s first off-campus food drive. Ryder says she is working on making it a monthly event. 

The pantry helps students keep food on the table so they can focus on their success instead …