The AACC food pantry started delivering food last week to the homes of students, staff, and faculty members who signed up for the service.

Basic Needs Coordinator Caitlin Silver, who works in the Office of Student Engagement, said she packs the boxes and mails them, free of charge, to the homes of recipients.

Any AACC student, faculty member or employee is eligible for deliveries, regardless of their income or where they live, Silver said.

Silver said she is filling boxes with shelf-stable items, liked canned and boxed food, but the selection changes depending on what donors send to the pantry.

“Depending on what our stock is looking like will depend on what the order is, so it’ll vary depending on the week,” Silver said.

Silver, who works at home most days but visits the campus to pack the boxes, said a recipient can get a one-time or weekly delivery.

Silver said she is taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“[Pantry employees] will be sanitizing everything on our end and when we send it,” Silver said. “I know delivery companies are all following social distancing practices and things like that.”

The food pantry has locations at AACC campuses in Arnold, Glen Burnie, and, since January, Arundel Mills.

The food pantry started on the Arnold campus in 2010 and in 2018 started an ongoing partnership with the Maryland Food Bank.

Silver said she has had few requests for delivered food but expects the number of orders to grow as word gets out.

Third-year mechatronics student Gerald Maravanyika said before the campus shut down, he would get food from the food pantry twice a week.

“I see this as my school doing everything,” he said. “They can ensure that students on and off-campus are getting what they need.”

First-year speech pathology student Karianna Lamourt said she has never used the food pantry.

“I am thankfully privileged enough to get enough food every day,” Lamourt said. “Some people in college don’t have the privilege of having food every day so the food pantry delivery can help people if they need it.”

Students who want to sign up for the delivery service can contact the food pantry at studenthelplink@aacc.edu.