CSUSB Students Experiencing Food Insecurity Receive Grant at Palm Desert Campus

Kelly Levy, Charities director, BIGHORN Golf Club (center) presents a check to Michelle Skiljan, senior director of Philanthropy, Foundation and Corporate Relations, CSUSB (left) and Terri Anderson, director, Basic Needs & Student Support, CSUSB (right) on Jan. 11, 2023. BIGHORN Cares has donated $5,000 to support the DEN food pantry at the Palm Desert Campus of Cal State San Bernardino, according to the press release. The students visit the DEN for food, fresh produce, hygiene items and CalFresh application assistance. The PDC DEN provides currently enrolled students with free food regardless of verified need and is committed to eliminating barriers, promoting student success and connecting PDC students with important campus and community resources. Grant funds will be used for monthly produce distribution, in partnership with Feeding America Riverside’s Find Food Bank, as well as for providing educational workshops and activities through the CSUSB Department of Health Science and Human Ecology’s nutrition program using the CalFresh Healthy Living program model, which "supports healthy, active, and nourished lifestyles by teaching Californians about good nutrition and how to stretch their food dollars, while also building partnerships in communities to make the healthy choice, the easy choice." according to the CalFresh website. "Our mission is to embrace equity and inclusiveness while supporting students who may experience food, financial, and housing insecurities, are in need of emotional support, and/or facing various challenge and adverse circumstances in their lives," said Terri Anderson, director, Basic Needs & Student Support at CSUSB. "In an effort to support students in need, the CSUSB Department of Basic Needs & Student Support is dedicated to meeting students’ basic needs while promoting academic success and completion. We thank the board members of BIGHORN Cares for their generous gift and we appreciate their support," said Anderson. "Through their donation, we will be able to accomplish many key goals, continue to grow basic needs services and work toward eliminating food insecurity to meet the needs of our students." Visit the BIGHORN Cares website for more information about its programs and philanthropic endeavors. For more information about the PDC DEN, visit the CSUSB Basic Needs website. For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the Office of Strategic Communication at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the PDC website at www.csusb.edu/pdc.