An AmeriCorps grant has been renewed to fund the on-site VISTA volunteer at Carroll Community College for the 2013-2014 school year.

Colleges around Maryland which are members of the Maryland-D.C. Campus Compact (MDCCC) receive funds for service and civic engagement projects from MDCCC that are provided by AmeriCorps. This is the second year in which Carroll has received a grant for its Food Locker program.

VISTA is an acronym for Volunteers in Service to America. Kim McShane is a VISTA volunteer who coordinates the Food Locker and will continue in this role for another year.

Carroll’s Food Locker began in fall, 2011 as a pilot program. The Student Life office opened it on a trial basis while determining whether the college community had a need for a grocery assistance program.

“We had a feeling that there was a need, but we were looking to determine the extent of the need before applying for a grant,” said Director of Student Life Kristie Crumley. “We found that indeed there were many faculty, staff and students who could benefit from the Food Locker,” she said.

Faculty, staff and students who have a demonstrated need may make requests for a free bag of groceries from the Food Locker. The pantry is located in the lower level of the A building. The Student Life office stocks the pantry through food drives and organized campus department competitions.

“We would like to have a constant stock of food available to our clients,” said McShane. “We also want to offer workshops and provide external resources to our clients.”

“As of spring 2013, 83 families have walked through our doors since the pilot year in 2011,” said McShane. “This means that hundreds of people have been helped.”

“A total of 934 bags of food have been distributed, equivalent to over $20,000 in grocery assistance,” said McShane.

“The college is very supportive of this initiative,” said McShane. “College members have generously donated non-perishable goods, incorporated giving into class projects and participated in competitions. The Food Locker would not exist without contributions from our faculty, staff and students on behalf of their peers who are in need.”

McShane oversees operations, performs administrative duties, and refers clients to outside agencies and resources. She is a 2009 graduate of Carroll and Hill Scholar, a 2011 graduate of McDaniel College and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Counseling.

“In the future, grants from local grocery stores will help us keep Food Locker shelves stocked,” said Crumley. “At the moment, we depend solely upon the donations of our college community. We have been positively overwhelmed by college support. We do hope to find external donors who may want to help keep the Food Locker stocked all year long. We also hope to receive a donation of a commercial-grade refrigerator so that we can begin to offer fresh daily items like cheese, milk and yogurt,” said Crumley.

“We are grateful for the support of AmeriCorps and the Maryland-D.C. Campus Compact,” said Crumley.

MDCCC enhances the efforts of higher education institutions to prepare students for lifelong civic and community engagement.

AmeriCorps VISTA provides full-time members to community organizations and public agencies to create and expand programs that build capacity and ultimately bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty.

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