By Bailie Wilson
After researching the issue of food insecurity on the Texas A&M University campus, the 12th Can, Texas A&M’s first food pantry, is now serving university students, staff, and faculty.
“The need in the Texas A&M community is a lot greater than we perceived it to be,” says Jake Moyers, chair of the 12th Can. “We want to make sure that no one goes to bed without a meal.”
The new program, initiated by the student organization Texas Aggies Making Change (TAMC), first opened in November 2013. It started when last year’s student body president, John Claybrook, approached TAMC with the idea.
“The chairs spent all of last year researching the best way to get started,” says Moyers. The group decided to coordinate with the Brazos Valley Food Bank, which helped launch the initiative.
The 12th Can food pantry currently opens every first Wednesday and Thursday of the month at the Texas A&M mail services building. “We try to give each person about a 40-pound bag of an assortment of food,” explains Moyers.
“We haven’t had any food drives because we have had such success with donations so far,” says Moyers. The food provided by the 12th Can comes from donations made by a number of organizations such as Aggie Moms Club and student organizations.
As they look to the future, the 12th Can organizers say they hope to be open more often and to provide a greater variety of food including perishables. A “pick-and-choose” method so people can take food based on individual needs is also a goal for the future.
For more information on the 12th Can, visit tamc.tamu.edu.
