The Inter-Club Council will be opening a food pantry on campus for students who can’t afford food for themselves.

“I’m always excited for any opportunity where I can help students,” Student Life Coordinator Joel Nickelson-Shanks said.

The Inter-Club Council has partnered with the Contra Costa College Foundation, which is also sponsoring the food pantry.

The food pantry is scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2017 spring semester. It will be located on the second floor in SA-230.

Nickelson-Shanks said the ICC might do a “soft opening” during the Christmas break, but he made no guarantees.

The food pantry will be open to all CCC students, but food and items will be limited because the ICC wants to make sure every student has the opportunity to receive their food. A checklist will be used to manage the distribution.

Nickelson-Shanks said he wants to be able to address the problems students have and be able to point them in the right direction.

“It’s necessary that students have better access to food. We’re going to try to keep the food pantry available for students (for the long term)” Nickelson-Shanks said.

It is common that many students do not to openly express their hardships. The ICC wants to make sure that those kinds of students don’t have to hide their suffering and can receive help, he said.

“We’re trying to help those who need the help, but only if they want it. A lot of students can keep stuff like this a secret, but they need to say something in order to receive the help they need,” Vice President of Club Affairs Jose Arebalo said.

Their goal is also to connect with more students. Students who are going through food hardships often keep to themselves.

Nickelson-Shanks said this event is really for those who are not comfortable sharing how hungry they are and have been.

President of the Armed Forced and Service Support Group Ron Huntington said that this is a great opportunity for students to get back on their feet and for the college to help them.

This is one of the many fundraisers the ASU is working on.