As of Nov. 3, Beaver Cares will expand its services and food pantry offerings in an effort to make up the difference in SNAP and CalFresh delays during the federal government shutdown. (Photo Illustration courtesy of Beaver Cares Team)

Amidst anxiety and uncertainty during the now four-week-long government shutdown, some students are facing more obstacles than others with the resources they can usually rely on. Some resources, like CalFresh or SNAP, which provide monthly food benefits to low-income families, are delayed.

Starting Nov. 3, Beaver Cares, the student resource initiative at American River College, is expanding the services it offers to help bridge this gap. Detailed in an email sent out from the Los Rios district, the expanded services will include:

1. Increased Pantry Access: All students may show a valid EBT card to receive increased pantry quantities each week.
2. Extended Pantry Hours: The Beaver Food Pantry will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until EBT benefits are restored.
3. Expanded Pantry Inventory: The pantry will be double-stocked to meet higher demand, and additional grocery staples and ingredients will be available to support meal preparation.
4. Our Ruby’s Place location at Natomas Center will also offer additional points and stock for students who receive EBT benefits.

The email also provided a link to register for the pantry for any students who have not used the service before. The Beaver Cares Team also offers help with finding Food Banks in students’ areas as needed.

“We encourage students affected by the delay to visit the pantry early and often during this time,” said the Beaver Cares Team in the email, “Together, we’ll get through this period of uncertainty—as a campus that cares and a community that looks out for one another.”

Beaver Cares also accepts donations of any unopened, unexpired food items. The organization lists flour, sugar, oil, tortillas, pasta and rice as its most frequently utilized items. According to Dorenne Scott, a housing clerk with the Beaver Cares Team, the Homecoming game on Nov. 1 will be a good time for donations, which can be made at the Beaver Cares site on campus.

“We already feel the impact,” Scott said, “Our students are worried, some came crying and upset about how they’ll feed their families.”

Beaver Cares often serves upwards of 200 ARC students, but according to Scott, that number was up to 296 as of Oct. 22.