PCCC Opens Food Pantry at Wanaque Campus with $7,500 Support from Stop & Shop

Passaic County Community College (PCCC) established a new Panther Pantry at our Wanaque Academic Center, helped by a generous donation of $7,500 from Stop & Shop. The pantry is expected to serve more than 550 students each month, providing essential food and personal care items to support students in need.

According to the New Jersey Office of Higher Education’s September 2025 survey, nearly 40% of community college students in the state experience food insecurity and PCCC is among the institutions responding to this need.

The ribbon cutting ceremony on March 5 included officials and students from PCCC as well as representatives of Stop & Shop and a crew from Telemundo television. Named for the College mascot, the Panther Pantry at Wanaque is the third campus food pantry administered by PCCC’s Wellness Center, which has locations at the Paterson and Passaic campuses and offers students a wide of range of other no-cost services for well-being, including housing and healthcare referrals, financial literacy instruction, exercise classes, and more.

“We know that when students are hungry, they cannot learn,” said Lia Rowe, director of the PCCC Wellness Center, in opening remarks. “With the generous support of Stop & Shop, we are able to expand on our mission to supply students with nutritious food.”

Daniel Wolk, External Communications Manager for Stop & Shop, decried the fact that “in the richest nation in the world, people are suffering from hunger.”  Mr. Wolk noted that nearly 40 percent of community college students in New Jersey face food insecurity.

“No one should have to choose between paying for classes and putting food on the table,” he added.  “At Stop & Shop, we are proud to stand alongside Passaic County Community College and support the Panther Pantry, helping students access healthy, nourishing food and the resources they need to succeed both in school and in life.”

Stop & Shop currently supports 17 school food pantries in New Jersey and more than 280 pantries across five states, serving over 42,000 students and families each month.

Speaking at the ceremony, nursing student E.J. Perez, shared his experiences as a regular volunteer at the PCCC Panther Pantry. “Sometimes a student comes to us saying that they didn’t eat that day, or maybe even longer than a day, but they still need to attend class and, in some cases, go to a job after school.”

He added, “Through my experience helping at Panther Pantry, I can attest to the remarkable and necessary service our Pantry provides to students who are in need of healthful food for themselves and, in some cases, for their children, too.”

 The ceremonial ribbon was cut by Dr. Jacqueline Kineavy, now Interim President of PCCC, officially opening the  Panther Pantry at Wanaque. Each student can shop up to three times per month, with access to shelf-stable and canned foods, fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy products, and personal care items such as toothpaste, deodorant, and feminine hygiene products, all at no cost to the students.

Passaic County Community College expresses gratitude to all who donate their time, talent and means to support Panther Pantry. We are especially grateful to Stop & Shop, our new partner in fighting food insecurity for college students.

Written by Linda Telesco
Photos by Page Saunders