How Barstow Community College is Combating Food Insecurity Without Hiring More Staff

The facts are hard: Over 56% of the 1.8 million California Community College students face food insecurity; they simply don’t know where their next meals are coming from. This is a crisis that is piling a dispiriting amount of stress on too many students, threatening to crush their degree-earning dreams.

What’s the solution? Some proposals to beef up college staff to help struggling students carry hefty price tags. Consider the elegant solution found in the quiet southernmost corner of California.

In partnership with the leading educational technology software company ConexED, Barstow Community College leaders in rural Imperial County have been able to help their students find the support they need. Basic needs are covered through the Bastow College food pantry and monthly Produce day. Both of these programs are being managed – all without having to hire more staff or pay for yet another clunky software program complicating the already tech deck.

“We’re using the ConexED platform to service our students’ at the Basic Needs level. The appointment scheduler, check-in system and reason codes allows our students to easily schedule pickups at our food pantry, and attend our monthly Produce Day on campus where they can get hygene items and food. The in-depth reporting allows our staff to make sure students are given food based on their dietary restrictions, and also allows our staff to view the student history whenever they need to. ConexED is so user-friendly and has been an incredible platform for us!”

Samera Kabir, Interim Director, Special Programs and Services
Barstow Community College

Learn how ConexED is helping Barstow and other schools streamline their Basic Needs programs, by clicking here.

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