Targets students who stay on campus for holiday
As Thanksgiving approaches, the plans to go home and eat a hearty and memorable meal with family are set in motion.
However, this may not be the case for some who are not able to go home and celebrate Thanksgiving with their family. That is why the Javelina Care Closet at Texas A&M University–Kingsville (TAMUK) will have Thanksgiving themed food items for students to pick up before the holiday.
“We know that students often struggle with food insecurity, so we are providing this service and are constantly looking for ways to meet that need to the level that is most helpful to our students,” Dean of Students Kirsten Compary said.
Located in the Memorial Student Union Building in Room 220, the Javelina Care Closet provides currently enrolled students in need with food and hygiene products, as well as a professional clothing closet.
This Thanksgiving season it will be filled with shelf-stable food such as green beans, potatoes, fruits, corn and more. Stuffing, mashed potato mix, canned soup, as well as some frozen and refrigerated items will also be avaliable. Anyone in the Kingsville community who meets the income guidelines set by the Coastal Bend Food Bank will be eligible to receive food from the Care Closet.
“Not a lot of people have the opportunity to go home, so they stay here. They would need food during the break for Thanksgiving,” student worker at the Javelina Pantry Cassandra Ochoa said.
The Care Closet will not be open when the university is closed for the Thanksgiving break, as the last day of operation will be the day before Thanksgiving. However, there is a limit on the number of items per week, so visits can be made until that limit is reached.
“[Providing food to students is] important because during these holiday times, it can kind of hit you really hard emotionally and food can be that comfort to really have you remember home,” graduate supervisor for the Care Closet Ashley Longoria said. “It’s less of a worry for them, so we’re hoping to ease those stresses, worries and have individuals feel a bit better during this time.”
A simple application that takes about five minutes can determine eligibility. Applications are available at the Care Closet and there is no appointment necessary. The Care Closet is open every business day during the academic semesters. The pantry also has services for students to go to if they want to look for outside assistance like food stamps or health insurance so if they have any application situation, problems or questions they can come to us and get that info as well.
For more information, the Javelina Care Closet can be reached at (361) 593-3606 or go online at tamuk.edu.