By Jasmine Gallup of The Sanford Herald
SANFORD - Between hours spent in class and working three part-time jobs, second-year community college student Britney Bell doesn't have much time to cook meals at home.
And, she said, she can't afford to eat out every day.
Luckily, for her -- and others in the same situation -- there's a third option.
It's the Cougar Market, a food bank for Central Carolina Community College students on the main campus in Lee County.
Make-shift market has shelves stacked with food, toiletries, diapers and laundry detergent and two refrigerators hold fruits and vegetables.
And it's all free for students.
Bell, 19, who lives in Cameron and is working toward a music degree, visits Cougar Market two or three times a week, she said.
"It really helps. Before, I was struggling with buying food. These days, it's like $8 for one meal, so you gotta bring food from home. But when that's barely an option, it's kind of hard," she said.
"I save hundreds of dollars just by coming here. And they have a lot (of food) that supplements me buying groceries."
The market opened about a year ago, said Emily Hare, executive director of the CCCC Foundation.
"We discovered around the time Hurricane Florence hit (in September 2018) that a lot of students were having food insecurities," she said. "Our students were out of work for three to four days, and they ran out of food, they couldn't pay to replace it. So it really came to light that our students were hungry."
The market started small -- a few shelves of canned goods and granola bars outside Hare's office. In the spring, it expanded and moved into a classroom in Douglas H. Wilkinson Sr. Hall. The college also moved the Career Closet into the same room so students could pick up professional clothing while shopping.
With donations through the foundation, Hare shops for the market at area grocery stores. The pantry also receives regular donations from Christians United Outreach Center of Lee County and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.
"In the month of November alone, we helped 90 students. And the more students are finding out about it, the more people are using it," Hare said.
"Students are not going to perform well if they're hungry. That's the last thing we want on their minds. The more students we can help, (the more) they can focus on their degrees and we can get them out, get them graduated and get them to work."
Hare said she'd like to double the size of the market and add another freezer and refrigerator. She also intends to open similar pantries on the Harnett and Chatham campuses.
Bertha Brown, 55, of Sanford, who is pursuing a degree in medical office administration, said she's grateful for the market.
"It makes a difference. It feels good knowing somebody's got your back," she said.
To make a donation of canned goods or other food, contact Hare at ehare@cccc.edu or 919-718-7230.
The Ruby McSwain Cougar Market, Central Carolina Community College's Food Pantry, aspires to support student success by ensuring that no student goes hungry because of a lack of income or access to food. The Cougar Market is stocked with non-perishable snacks and meal items to temporarily alleviate immediate food insecurity for students and their families. For more information on the CCCC Food Pantry, contact Dr. Hare at 919-718-7230 or ehare@cccc.edu.