Community Resource Hub & Food Pantry
We are dedicated to building a culture of caring that recognizes students’ needs, provides thoughtful support, and empowers wellness and success in the classroom and beyond.
Our food pantry, created in 2018 to address the issue of food insecurity facing our students, provides food, personal hygiene items, cleaning products at no cost. In 2020 we expanded services that address a broader range of basic needs insecurity, such as those related to housing, healthcare, transportation, childcare, technology, WIFI access, etc. We are dedicated to connecting our students with community resources that will improve their health, wellness, and security.
Who can use the Community Resource Hub & Food Pantry?
Students who are currently enrolled in credited academic courses at Middlesex College are eligible to register with the Hub & Pantry and access services.
What services are available?
- Chromebook Loaner program – A limited number of Chromebooks are available for students to borrow from the Resource Hub free of charge. This can be requested when students register with the Hub & Pantry (see below for registration information)
- Food Pantry (weekly grocery shop, daily grab & go snacks, meals prepared by our HCD students, new Lunch Club program) – Visit during regular pantry hours or by appointment. Bring one reusable grocery bag. *Pantry access is limited to registered student shoppers for purposes of privacy, health and safety.
- Parenting Student Diaper Program – Parents/legal guardians with children in need of diapers can verify their children’s birthdates and request this service within the Pantrysoft Hub & Pantry registration. Diaper pick up is available monthly during regular pantry hours.
- Resources and Referrals to additional support and services (SNAP, housing, etc.) – Stop by the Community Resource Hub or email us.
- Student Emergency Grant – Application and information are available within Pantrysoft Hub & Pantry registration.
- NJ Transit Student Discount Program – Currently enrolled students are eligible for free round-trip NJ TRANSIT bus tickets.
Middlesex County Community Resources
- Middlesex County Services Locator – Connecting individuals and families to supportive Services.
- REPLENISH Directory – Need food assistance? The REPLENISH Directory is a resource tool to direct people to an agency in their area that can provide them with emergency food assistance.
How can students access services?
- Currently enrolled students seeking services must register online with the Hub & Pantry.
*Please Note: you cannot register on Pantrysoft until the first day of the semester in which you are enrolled. The software does not recognize your eligibility until the courses you are enrolled in are active. For example: students taking classes during Fall 2024 can only register with the pantry between September 3 – December 13. - Bring your Middlesex College Student ID card with you to the Hub & Pantry during drop-in hours or by appointment (contact resource_hub@middlesexcc.edu). Student ID cards are available at West Hall.
Where is the Hub & Pantry?
Location
- The lower level of the College Center (Hub: room 170, Pantry: room 171)
- The entrance is on College Drive East at the rear of College Center, across from the Physical Education building, between parking lots 16 and 3.
Parking
- Visitor lot 3 only (only while shopping) (view map), student parking lots 1, 2, and 4.
OR
- For 15 minutes in the designated “15 minute Pantry parking” spot in staff parking lot 16.
*Do not park in the handicapped parking area unless you have a handicapped license plate or tag.
How can I find out more?
Check your student email account regularly for pantry news and other resources. Join our Canvas page for regular updates of pantry hours, special events, resources, and opportunities.
Email us with any questions or to be added to our Canvas page resource_hub@middlesex.edu.
Donations
How to Donate
- Large contact free outdoor bin at the back of the College Center (off of College Drive East across from the Physical Education Center, between parking lots 16 and 3)
- Blue food pantry bins located in the lobbies of the Gateway Building, College Center (outside the office of Student Life), at the Community Resource Hub & Food Pantry (College Center room 170/171)
- At the New Brunswick Center to benefit “The Cupboard”
- Safely online through the Middlesex College Foundation: Pantry and Emergency Fund (blackbaud.com)
- Middlesex College Food Pantry Wish List
What to Donate
Shelf-Stable Food Items:
- Rice, pasta, macaroni & cheese, couscous
- Peanut butter, jelly
- Canned, dried, or jarred fruit, fruit cups
- Juice, water, seltzer, boxed shelf-stable milks
- Healthy snacks: granola/power/breakfast bars, Belvita biscuits, crackers
- Cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix
- Soups (vegetarian and non-vegetarian), and canned tuna, salmon, chicken, sardines
- Bagged or canned chickpeas/garbanzo beans, black beans, lentils and grains
- Cooking oils, condiments, dressings, sauces, syrup
Non-Food Items:
- Reusable shopping bags
- Baby items: diapers (size 5 & 6), wipes
- Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, menstrual products (especially pads), toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, floss
- Cleaning products, dish soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, etc.
- School supplies (notebooks, binders, loose leaf paper, pens, highlighters, etc.)
For questions about pantry assistance or donations please email: resource_hub@middlesexcc.edu.