As Halloween comes to an end, and the ghosts and ghouls race back underground, we find ourselves facing a greater lingering threat. One that affects 1 in 6 people, one that is persistent and growing, one that thrives off our apathy, reluctance, and ignorance. This beast is something so terribly ferocious that a single misstep is said to send thousands into it’s waiting maw. The one I’m speaking of is, of course, hunger. Something I’m sure we’ve all seen, or at the very least felt, from time to time. Though to many this craving seems just a tiresome nuisance, it truly can be quite the monster for many more. The strangest thing about this monster is that it’s not impossible to kill. It wears no armor and has no scales, it prevails through our thoughtless wastefulness and dangerous cycle of poverty.

Every year $218 billion worth of “food waste “ is thrown out into landfills, over 25% of our freshwater is used by farmers and this waste breaks itself down releasing harmful gases with a total of our most current carbon footprint for food wastage being 4.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide. By continuing to waste so senselessly we’re not only hurting our health and our wallets but our planet! However, I’m not here to shame anyone. It’s no individual’s fault that we quickly throw each other to the sidelines, it’s not a matter of us forgetting our humanity. It’s because of our humanity we make small mistakes, that we are able to forget how fortunate we often are. I’m just as much to blame as anyone else but I believe we can change, that we can learn to help one another and support each other, and what better a time to start then during a time of year where we celebrate togetherness and our durability.

There are several ways to help out your community, but one of the closest is HCC’s own “Food Pantry”. Since 2016 the HCC Food Pantry has been helping both eliminate food waste and providing for those in need by providing donated food. All one has to do to get stocked up is bring a student ID and they’ll be allowed to receive a total of 10 items once a week, with those who bring their own reusable bags being able to get an extra item, bringing the total to 11! For those looking to donate, the Food Pantry has donation bins outside the Wellness Center in the Clark Library building, within the RCF lobby, right inside the Hickory Ridge building and directly at the Food Pantry itself – HS 174. Though this has certainly been said before, it still rings true. Together, we can make a positive change in this world, even if it’s just one can at a time.

The HCC Food Pantry is open
Tuesday, 4 – 6PM
Wednesday, 1 – 3PM
Friday, 12PM – 5PM

If it is an absolute emergency, feel free to call Student Life at 443.518.1420. Donations may be placed in the bins any time the school itself is open.