Food, school supplies and toiletries will be available for students in need. The Cal U Cupboard will be open over winter break.
The Cal U Cupboard received a pre-holiday surprise recently when Amazon donated items on the campus-based pantry’s “wish list.”
Toiletries, school supplies and nonperishable food were all on the list, according to Diane Hasbrouck, the director of Volunteer Programs and Service Learning and director of Commuter and Nontraditional Student Services.
The Cal U Cupboard, operated by Cal U’s Center for Volunteer Programs and Service Learning and supported by donations, helps to meet students’ basic needs.
Amazon announced in October that it would fulfill hundreds of AmazonSmile Charity Lists for nonprofit organizations.
“This was an unexpected surprise from Amazon,” Hasbrouck said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person donations to the Cal U Cupboard were paused. Instead, Hasbrouck added items the Amazon list that could be purchased and shipped directly to the Cal U Cupboard, which is operating temporarily at Vulcan Village.
This semester, the Cupboard has distributed more than 135 bags of food that included soup, canned vegetables, canned fruit, pasta and microwaveable items, and snacks. Other items were distributed as needed, Hasbrouck said.
In addition to Amazon, donations have come from faculty, staff and other students. Approximately $8,000 from 2020 Homecoming@Home celebration boxes and the Vulcan 5K will benefit the Cal U Cupboard, according to Dr. Ryan Barnhart, director of Alumni Relations.