Three Rivers College plans to expand its food pantry services after the Three Rivers Endowment Trust received a $5,100 donation from the Sparklight Charitable Giving Fund earmarked to the initiative.
“This is such an exciting gift for us to receive,” Brandi Brooks, Director of Enrollment Services at Three Rivers, said. “This gives us the opportunity to offer not just food but hygiene products, as well, and it also allows us to teach them some life skills through offering cooking courses, and doing meal prep kits like the birthday cake box, or making a casserole, something very easy that they can fix on a budget.”
The Sparklight Charitable Giving Fund annually awards $250,000 in grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations across our footprint, funding a variety of initiatives and programs, including STEM education in local schools; vocational and life skills training for persons with disabilities; capital campaign support for social services; and programs advocating on behalf of abused and neglected children, families in need, and the homeless.
“Access to food and basic essentials shouldn’t be a barrier to education,” said Travis Harr, Sparklight Senior Regional Director, North Central. “Sparklight is proud to support Three Rivers Endowment Trust’s important work to ensure students have the resources they need to stay focused, healthy, and on track toward graduation.”
The donation will assist with stocking shelves as need has increased. Additionally, it will fund emergency meal kits, birthday cake boxes, and cooking and budgeting classes to teach lifelong skills to assist in food security.
The Three Rivers Food Pantry was created in 2019 and has served hundreds of students. It was one of many grant applications as part of the 24 states that the Sparklight Charitable Giving Fund serves.
“This is an opportunity to further our students and help them grow the basic skills they need as students, and as adults in life,” Eric Schalk, Three Rivers Board of Trustees member, said. “This is a great program. It is another building block in building successful leaders in our community.”
The Three Rivers Food Pantry is located in the Baptist Student Union near the Rivers Ridge Apartments in Poplar Bluff. It is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is available for current TRC students, faculty, and staff, as needed. Emergency food packs are available at all Three Rivers College locations. These are designed to support students with an immediate need for food/hygiene items. Each Emergency Food Pack contains 1-2 days’ worth of meals and supplies.
If you wish to donate items, get involved, or make a financial donation, contact Gail Tinsley at 573-840-9712 or gtinsley@trcc.edu.
“This is the job, this is what we do. We provide support for students,” Brooks said. “They are extremely appreciative. They love the fact that they can go over and shop just like they would in any other regular grocery store. I think it helps them build confidence, it gives them some flexibility with their options, and it provides that support. And it’s all within the students’ community.
