Volunteers from eight local colleges help bag 6,500 pounds of Washington yellow potatoes to help feed the hungry during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Day on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Officials from the food bank say 40 percent of students at California state universities are “food insecure.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Local college mascots, including Pet the Panther from Chapman Univeristy, from left, Peter the Anteater from UC Irvine, Sampson the Lion from Vanguard University, and Pete the Pirate from Orange Coast College, do a dance-off during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Volunteer Day in Irvine on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers cheer their favorite college mascot during a friendly dance-off competition during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Volunteer Day in Irvine on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Sampson the Lion won with the help of a tail spin. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Local college mascots, including Peter the Anteater from UC Irvine, Sampson the Lion from Vanguard University, and Pete the Pirate from Orange Coast College, do a dance-off during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Volunteer Day in Irvine on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Sampson the Lion won the competition with the help of a tail spin. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Lorena Salgado, with Santa Ana College Continuing Education, wears a smile as she helps bag potatoes for the hungry during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Day in Irvine on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteers from eight local colleges help bag 6,500 pounds of Washington yellow potatoes to help feed the hungry during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Day on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Officials from the food bank say 40 percent of students at California state universities are “food insecure.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Katie Solo, left, and Katie Pratt, with Saddleback Community College’s Basic Needs Center, help bag potatoes for those in need during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Volunteer Day in Irvine on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Alzen Depakakibo, center, helps bag patatoes for the hungry during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Day in Irvine on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cal State Fullerton studdent, Erik Gaines, gets interupted by Pete the Pirate from Orange Coast College as he volunteers during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Day in Irvine on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Gaines was helping bag potatoes with his Sigma Pi fraternity brothers. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Delivery trucks are parked outside Second Harvest Food Bank in Irvine during Higher Education Volunteer Day on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Dara Dao, from left, Amber Vasquez-Nodel, and John Nguyen, with Santa Ana College’s Food Bank Pantry, help bag potatoes for the hungry during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Volunteer Day. Officials from the food bank say that 40 percent of students at California state universities are “food insecure.” As volunteers from eight local colleges bagged 6,500 pounds of potatoes, Peter, the UC Irvine anteater, poked his nose into things as did Pete the Pirate from Orange Coast College on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Volunteers from eight local colleges help bag 6,500 pounds of Washington yellow potatoes to help feed the hungry during Second Harvest Food Bank’s Higher Education Day on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Officials from the food bank say 40 percent of students at California state universities are “food insecure.” (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County helps keep college students fueled with food pantries at 18 campuses; on Wednesday, Sept. 25, volunteers from several of those programs united to help the nonprofit with its mission.
At the first-ever Higher Education Volunteer Day – hosted as part of Hunger Action Month – teams from Santa Ana College, Santiago Canyon College, Saddleback College, Vanguard University, UC Irvine, Chapman University and Orange Coast College participated in packing up food for distribution in the community.
And so did the school mascots, getting everyone into the spirit of the helping fight food insecurity.
It is estimated four out of every 10 students in the state’s universities are food insecure and not sure where their next meal will come from, Second Harvest officials emphasize. The college pantries help bridge the gap so students can stay in school.
