HOLYOKE – Natalie Bresner is a student at Holyoke Community College (HCC) who will be graduating this spring with an Associate degree in psychology. She is a member of the Student Senate and made the dean’s list last semester.

She is also homeless.

Bresner has been couch surfing and staying with friends for much of her college career. She applied for supplemental nutritional assistance (SNAP) and was given a monthly benefit of $20. She asked her teachers to bear with her if she was “out of it” in class since she was going through tough times. Then, Bresner heard about the Thrive Center from an information table set up by the Student Senate.

Thrive began in 2016 as a resource, funded by the United Way, that would help students open a bank account or work on their credit scores. When the students’ more immediate needs became apparent, Thrive shifted its focus to address those basic needs, said Rosemary Fiedler, the Thrive Center coordinator.

“You’re not worried about getting a bank account if you have nowhere to sleep that night,” Fiedler explained.

Now, completely funded by the HCC Foundation, Thrive uses a comprehensive approach to help students. The center offers free help with applying for SNAP and MassHealth, Community Legal Aid, financial coaching and budget planning, housing referrals, free tax prep, and now, a food pantry.

Dylan Burns, the student–body president and a work-study student in the Thrive Center, was the driving force behind opening the food pantry. Burns said he and his mom had gone through a period when they were in danger of losing their home and were food insecure.

“Meals were a luxury,” Burns said.

The Student Senate was working on food insecurity and Burns said he knew from his work–study, that the Thrive Center was the perfect place for a food pantry. Although a small amount of food has been available to hungry students since 2013, the access to that food was limited to two hours each weekday, by appointment and only with a referral. The location for that food also moved around campus as space was available.

Now, a room that was formerly a small office has been transformed into a permanent pantry, is accessible weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the only requirement for access is a student ID. Fiedler said Thrive has tried to lessen the obstacles to asking for help and destigmatize food access.

Each bag that a student is given by the food pantry contains about $25 worth of food, said Fiedler. The pantry can accommodate students with dietary restriction, such as vegans, and offers more than just dry goods. They have shelf-stable milk that does not require refrigeration and some fresh produce, which is sourced from HCC’s hydroponic farms contained inside shipping containers, called Freight Farms. There are two container farms located behind HCC’s culinary arts building in downtown Holyoke.

The food pantry also has a grab-and-go area set up to help a student’s immediate hunger.

“They’ve got a test in 20 minutes but they can’t concentrate because they’re hungry and shaking,” Fiedler gave as an example. “Here,” she said, picking up a bowl with a packet of microwaveable oatmeal and a cup of fruit. There are also single-serving cups of macaroni and cheese and packs of peanut butter crackers for students in the afternoon. The grab-and-go area can only be utilized twice a month and Fiedler said there’s a reason for that.

“A student may come in and say, ‘I haven’t eaten today.’ If I’m seeing that kid three times a week, and ask them about it, I might find out they don’t have access to a kitchen because they’re homeless,” said Fiedler. Then, the Thrive Center can help that student address the root causes of their hunger.

“It allows me access to have the conversation,” Fiedler said. “It’s a holistic approach with ripple effects. It’s not just about peanut butter crackers,” said Fiedler.

“We can take some of the stressors off of people,” said Burns. Thrive has what Fiedler called “care packages,” that consist of three-ring binders, hand warmers, socks – 300 of which were donated by the Bombas sock company, and other non-food essentials.

Bresner said that in addition to access to the pantry, Thrive helped her increase her SNAP benefits.

“[Thrive] sat down with me and asked me for more information,” Bresner said, including three different instances of impermanent housing. They helped her change her college financial aid paperwork to reflect that she did not receive financial contributions from her parents and Fielder helped her identify places she could stay and shelters in the area, many of which are targeted at the 18 to 24-year-old demographic. Thrive also gives students a list of food pantries in the area.

Food insecurity isn’t a problem limited to college students. Feeding America, a network of 200 food banks nationwide, estimates that 45,870 people in Hampden County are food insecure. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts provided over 5.3 million meals to the county in the Fiscal Year 2018.

Thrive is tracking the success of the food pantry in a couple of ways. First, they are keeping track of the number of students who use the pantry. They are also weighing the food that comes in. At the end of the semester, they’ll weigh what is left, taking account of anything that expired. Doing so will tell them how many students they helped and the amount of food they gave out. Currently, the pantry has received more than 2,500 lbs. and is still processing donations.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am,” Fiedler said of the pantry and the Thrive Center as a whole.

In addition to food, the pantry  collects donations of toiletries, including feminine hygiene products, and baby supplies, such as diapers and wipes. Fiedler said she is hesitant to take baby food, because of its short shelf-life, but will take whatever is donated provided it is not expired or nearing expiration. A list of frequently needed items can be found on the HCC website under student life.

Anyone who would like to donate to the food pantry can do so by calling 522-2785. Monetary donations can be made to the HCC Foundation’s Food Pantry Fund. The Thrive Center is located in room 233 of the Frost Building.