TSTC offers monthly helping hand through food bank

(RED OAK, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s North Texas campus works with the North Texas Food Bank’s College Hunger program to distribute food each month to TSTC students and their families. 

The program’s mission is to help reduce hunger on campus by providing shelf-stable food and fresh produce to students and their families in convenient, familiar and safe locations.

“There are a lot of our students that are on some form of financial aid, and those that are not often struggle to make ends meet,” Marcus Balch, provost of TSTC’s North Texas campus, said. “Without this program, I do believe there would be some students that would be unable to complete (college) just given their financial scenario.”

Balch said that while there are similar opportunities in the area for students to take advantage of, having the program on campus removes some possible barriers that going elsewhere might involve.

“Oftentimes transportation is also a concern with our students, and they’re able to pick up food here while they’re already attending class,” he said. “That’s just one less thing for the student or the families to have to worry about.”

Balch talked about the active involvement of TSTC faculty and staff in making sure that students have what they need to succeed.

“We have a vested interest in seeing the students remain as students, and being successful and going to work,” Balch said. “There are a lot of faculty and staff around here that work really hard to make sure our students have what they need to be successful in the long run.” 

In addition to students, the resources are available to TSTC faculty and staff. Any food that is not used by TSTC is distributed to the community.

In September, 161 students and 38 community members were given food. In October, 73 students and 51 community members received food.

“We’re just thankful we’re able to help,” Virginia Lindsey, senior administrative assistant for Balch and a primary organizer for the food program, said. “That’s what we do when you come to TSTC — you come to this family, and we take care of all of our kids.”

To volunteer to help distribute food, email Lindsey at virginia.lindsey@tstc.edu. 

Registration for TSTC’s spring semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.