Church “Soup’R Bowl” drive helps feed CSUN students ...Middle East

By Kathryn Stelmach Artuso

While many Americans were stocking their cupboards in preparation for Super Bowl Sunday, the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills was hosting a “Soup’R Bowl” Saturday, gathering donations to stock the cupboards of the food pantry at California State University Northridge.

Instead of dining halls, and late-night pizza runs, many college students face hunger, food scarcity, and precarious living arrangements. A 2018 study by the CSU Chancellor’s Office found that 41.6% of CSU students experience some level of food insecurity, according to Christel Bowen, the Food Programs Care Coordinator for the Basic Needs Office at CSUN.

The CSUN Food Pantry first opened its doors ten years ago to those in need, allowing students, faculty and staff to visit once a week for groceries and essential items. What began as a small, shelf-stable operation has expanded into a larger space that now offers fresh produce, dairy items and toiletries. On peak weeks, the pantry serves 200 to 300 students, with the simple requirement that shoppers register online and book an appointment in advance.

“We do our best to be very low barrier and just make access to the pantry as easy as possible,” Bowen said.

For the past eight years, the Presbyterian Church has supported the CSUN Food Pantry with bi-annual food drives. Recent collections have brought in 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of food at a time, which help sustain the pantry for an entire week. On Saturday morning, members of the congregation and community once again streamed into the church’s parking lot with bags and boxes overflowing with groceries.

“As is true with most churches, we seek to love our neighbor as God loves us,” said Rev. Dr. Lance Allen, the church’s pastor. “With CSUN barely a mile away, we feel called to serve the students there. We also appreciate education and want to take away any hardships that might make studies more difficult. We feel extremely blessed by the number of CSUN students who attend our church.”

Sharon Rose, who serves as an elder, noted that the church delivered 2,000 pounds of donations at the end of one food drive, in addition to collecting cash donations.

“We do get community people as well as church people [participating in the drive], because we’ve had this banner out on the street, and we have some people who watch for it,” she said. “There is one couple … their complete trunk is full, as well as their back seat, with food they are donating.”

Nancy Wells, who serves on the Community Concerns Committee at the church, criticized high rents in the area and noted that all California State Universities now have food pantries, including CSU San Francisco, where her daughter attended.

“The bulk of what I paid for her college was for housing,” Wells said. “You know, the actual tuition isn’t unbearable, but housing and food and all the rest is way more than the tuition.”

Bowen noted that each CSU food pantry is tailored for its specific campus needs. “We do work cohesively as far as sharing knowledge and resources,” she said. “There’s some great donor potential if you reach out.”

Like the CSU system, University of California campuses offer food pantries and resources to cover basic needs, including CalFresh Food Services—a program Bowen also oversees at CSUN, assisting students as they apply for state food benefits.

Operating on a hybrid model of donations and purchases, the CSUN Food Pantry partners with local agencies like Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND) in Pacoima for fresh produce and SOVA Valley Food Pantry (part of Jewish Family Services) for canned and boxed foods.

While non-perishable items like macaroni and cheese are popular, Bowen emphasizes that the goal is to provide more than just quick, cheap calories and to offer an array of nutritious options instead. She notes that the pantry recently started offering fresh, whole produce, like apples, oranges, onions, and potatoes. “These are super well received by the students,” she said. “We don’t want to stick with some of the stereotypical things like Ramen cups. Instead, we want to make sure that our students are being well nourished … with items that will help them excel academically.”

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