Edison State Community College receives grant from Walmart for Charger Station food pantry

Walmart has recently gifted The Edison Foundation of Edison State Community College a local community grant worth $4,200. The money from the grant will be used to fund the Charger Station food pantry that is located on the college’s Piqua Campus. The campus was visited by Nathan Kelly, who serves as the Store Manager of the Piqua Walmart, where he toured the Charger Station and presented the school with the grant check.

In an article posted on Edison State Community College’s website, Kelly was quoted about the grant, saying, “We’re pleased to have partnered with Edison State on a recent project to focus on food insecurity, donating $4,200 to help provide food for students who need that extra boost. We’re all aware of the expenses attached to higher education with housing, books, tuition, and more. This will help stock the local campus food pantry for this very purpose.”

He went on to talk about Walmart’s dedication to the community, saying, “Through collaboration and philanthropic funding, we’re working to strengthen the charitable needs in Piqua and create an emotional belonging that extends from the store shopping experience into our local community, helping families where we can.”

Walmart uses an open application process to select recipients of its local community grants. Edison State Community College was chosen for funding for the Charger Station food pantry through the Walmart and Sam’s Club facilities’ shared goal to both promote healthy eating and provide relief for hunger in the community. The grants are awarded to local organizations that offer charitable snacks or meals for people in their local community.

Dr. Jessica Chambers, who serves as the Dean of Student Engineering at Edison State Community College, weighed in on the grant, saying, “Edison State is thankful for the continued partnerships with local community organizations that support our efforts to provide wrap-around services for our students. This grant will be used to keep our Charger Station food pantry stocked for any student who needs a snack or meal so they can focus on learning and not worry about being hungry.”

Edison State opened the Charger Station food pantries back in 2019. The pantries are overseen by the Student Needs Team, and are available to all registered Edison State students, with a location at every one of the college’s campuses. The pantries contain necessary items like local resource information, school supplies, baby items, toiletries, snacks, and food.

“We’re aligned with the very mission statement of Edison State in providing support to better serve students to complete their educational goals and realize their dreams,” Kelly said.

More information about Edison State Community College can be found at the school’s website.