Mesa Market hold food drive to help students in need
Mesa Community College clubs and organizations are competing in a food drive benefiting the Mesa Market, a free food and hygiene pantry across both campuses that helps students in need.
The food drive officially started on Oct. 2, but student clubs, organizations, and college departments can still make donations until Oct. 13.
A friendly competition between these groups is intended to raise as much food as possible for the Mesa Market, with the group that raises the most receiving a trophy.
The Mesa Market accepts donations of items like non-perishable food and hygiene products such as toothpaste and deodorant. Click here for a full list of accepted items.
MCC’s Care Team runs the Mesa Market and created the food drive in collaboration with student government, Associated Students of Mesa Community College.
School groups competing will abide by an honor system when counting their donated items.
As MCC enrollment reaches pre-pandemic levels, Care Team staff member Adam Soto said that it’s difficult to keep up with the student demand for Mesa Market items.
“As we approach the end of our first full month of the fall semester, the market at Southern & Dobson has seen over 1,000 visitors alone,” said Soto in a written news release.
The Mesa Market also added full time staff to the Red Mountain Campus location this fall, along with providing food to MCC’s Downtown Center.
“We are receiving weekly food bank donations and the food is flying off the shelves,” said Soto in reference to increased student demand for food.
Anyone who wants to donate non-perishable food and hygiene products is still invited to do so, even if you aren’t part of a group participating in the food drive.
The Southern and Dobson Mesa Market is located at KSC 35S in the Kirk Student Center, and at the Red Mountain Campus at Palo Verde 111 in the Palo Verde building. Student clubs or campus organizations that want to participate in the competition should contact Adam Soto at adam.soto@mesacc.edu
