Impact Grant: Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus

News Channel 3 and the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation presented another Impact Grant to improve lives and help those in need. A $25,000 charitable gift was awarded to the Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus to strengthen food access for students.

At the college, freshmen Sebastian Bautista and Emiliano Barajas find it convenient to stop by the DEN food pantry.

"I come here weekly. I just grab whatever I want. I mostly grab snacks. So I don't have to make lunch in the morning or worry about food," Bautista said.

The pantry provides the school's roughly 3,000 students with a variety of free grocery items: everything from fruits and vegetables to canned proteins, rice, pasta, and other essentials.

"It's pretty nice. Most of the things I would buy at a normal grocery store, so I'll just get my stuff here," Barajas said.

About 40 percent of the students are food insecure. Administrators said the pantry, which receives most of its food from FIND Food Bank, helps students meet ongoing nutritional needs, prepare meals, and achieve greater food stability.

"The DEN is a tremendous help for our students. It's really hard to focus, it's really hard to learn, to think when you're on an empty stomach. So the Den really helps students with a basic physiological need," the Associate Vice President at Cal State San Bernardino Palm Desert Edna Martinez said.

And so, the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation and News Channel 3 presented the college with a special gift. The $25,000 Impact Grant will help the college expand the DEN's inventory, alongside ready-to-eat foods. In addition, there will be a new grab-and-go refrigerator near the student center on another part of campus, which will be stocked with nutritious meals, providing students with discreet and convenient access to food.

It's important for them to have a meal on campus, no questions asked. It sort of does away with the stigma of having to ask for help or tell someone you're hungry. You literally walk by and pick up something to eat. And that's huge for our students to do well," Martinez said.

Students aid the pantry and community generosity helps them to balance academic demands, work, and family responsibilities.

"It has helped me in a lot of ways, I just found out about it and have been using it regularly. It's a great place," Bautista said.

Last year, the college said roughly 400 students visited the DEN.