Olivia Russo
Staff Writer
Food insecurity has been a concern among college students since before the COVID-19 pandemic. With the holiday season approaching, students at the University of La Verne have to look no further than what is already happening on campus.
College students with food insecurities have limited access to appropriate food. They may struggle with knowing where their next meal will come from without the assistance of on campus dining halls.
To combat this problem, ULV has monthly pickups from the Leo Food Pantry, which hands out food and groceries for students that may need some extra food to get through the month. For the holiday season, the pantry has partnered with Bon Appétit to bring holiday meal packages to students who may not have the funds to celebrate Thanksgiving.
“When I started to oversee the pantry, it was during the pandemic,” Adrianne Montero-Camacho, director of accessibility and SOS services, said. “By the time we were finally able to get back on campus and resume our normal operation, we knew that our students were struggling financially, even more than they probably ever had before…We know that not every person recognizes Thanksgiving as a holiday, but I think there’s a lot of pressure put around a big meal or spending time with family.”
By signing up, a student can receive a holiday meal package containing all of the basic Thanksgiving meal items, feeding about a family of four. If a student is vegetarian, they can select that option, and substitute a turkey with gravy for tofu cutlets and mushroom gravy.
The meals are prepared in the two days leading up to the pickup date, where the Bon Appétit staff works in the kitchen to cook and pack all of the meals needed. Students will then show up the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving to collect their meals.
“We like to prepare a little bit extra,” Anthony Flores, catering and marketing manager at Bon Appétit, said. “So if you order for like a hundred, we’re gonna give you 115, because we always know there are some people who show up to dinner late, so just accounting for any additional meals.”
Last year, 144 students signed up to collect a meal for Thanksgiving, and the drive gave away 114 meals to students throughout the course of the two days. With the excess meals, a local pastor was able to give them out to his congregation. Over the course of the two days, many staff and faculty signed up to help hand out the meals, leaving them to take shifts.
“This has just been a part of my life,” Ebony Williams, manager of student outreach and support, said. “Just being able to participate in a program like this, where we are seeing students who are in need, means I am fulfilling what I am meant to do while I’m here.”
This year, holiday meals will be handed out Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, students will be able to pick their own pick-up time on which day works best for them and their schedule.
“Any time somebody can feel better about what they’re eating, even their surroundings… It feels pretty good actually to be able to meet different demands of different people,” Gilbert Talbot, general manager of Bon Appétit, said.
Faculty and staff can help by donating to the holiday meal initiative or volunteering to help hand out meals. Others can help by spreading the word about the drive as well as following @leofoodpantry on Instagram for more information.
Olivia Russo can be reached at olivia.russo@laverne.edu.
Olivia Russo is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print/online journalism and a minor in criminology. She is the Editor-in-Chief for the Campus Times for Spring 2026. She has previously served as the News Editor, LV Life Editor, a photographer and a staff writer for the Campus Times, as well as a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine.
Vicente Rodriguez is a senior photography major with a marketing minor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times. He has previously served as photography editor of the Campus Times and a staff photographer for La Verne Magazine.
