People showed support for Northampton Community Colleges’ food pantry by bringing bags of donations to the recent fall craft show. Northampton Community College, Bethlehem Campus, has developed a food collection program known as HOPE - Helping Our Peers Excel. A similar program exists at the Monroe campus, known as CARE- Compassionate Aid and Resources for Everyone.

It is a program created by the Nursing Student Organization in 2016 after learning that many new students were going hungry on a regular basis. Food insecurity, even for students who are employed or on a campus meal plan, creates bigger problems academically especially when a student can’t focus or is stressed.

Three-thousand five-hundred fifty two full and part-time students, staff and faculty have used this resource since its inception in 2016.

“No one is turned away but students /staff must produce a valid NCC school ID to obtain food,” said Karen Glose, director of the Center for Career Development and Alumni Engagement.

Supported by Second Harvest Food Bank and the NCC Alumni Association, the program always welcomes donations of non-perishable food items, hygiene items such as shampoo, toothpaste, and gift cards to local chain drugstores or Walmart, Glose added.