By Nicole Gregory, contributing writer
Throughout the school year, Cal State Fullerton students who struggle with food insecurity or who face an unexpected financial burden such as a major car repair or suddenly lose their housing can find help from the Tuffy’s Basic Needs Services program on campus, so their studies are not derailed by hardship.
“Throughout the academic year we are fairly consistent with requests,” said Victoria Ajemian, director of the program, adding that students’ needs are directly affected by trends in the economy.
“High gas prices are impacting students, especially commuter students,” she said. Loss of COVID-19 protections and higher grocery costs are also causing hardship for students and their families. “Challenges have shifted through the COVID-19 pandemic with economic demands like the high cost of living and inflation,” she said.
For large, urgent needs, students meet with Ajemian or one of her trained counselors, who will assess their situation and connect them with help.
A big need is food. Free food is available from a pantry on campus overseen by Associated Students, Inc., but Ajemian and her team also provide gift cards to places such as Togo’s and Baja Fresh and alert students to other nearby food pantries.
Cal Fresh is a federal program for low-income people who meet certain federal criteria (there are specific criteria for students) and provides a monthly benefit that can be used for buying food. Ajemian and her counselors can walk students through the Cal Fresh application process so they can receive this benefit.
They also make sure students know about the Titan Bites app, an alert system that sends out a message to students whenever there is leftover food from a campus event.
Housing can suddenly become a need for some students who have come to the end of a lease and can’t find a place to go or are forced to vacate an apartment due to flooding or who’ve fallen out with their family and have…
Read the full article here
