The atmosphere and operations of the Panther Community Care Center (PCCC) and the Food Pantry got even more vibrant this semester as The Home Depot Foundation presented SUNY Old Westbury with a more than $14,000 grant to make improvements to the space.
Team Depot, Home Depot’s associate volunteer force, Old Westbury students and staff worked together to install new kitchen equipment, cabinetry, and appliances, while also creating a welcoming and comfortable reception space for this much-needed campus resource.
“By creating a better-resourced Panther Food Pantry, and Community Care Center, SUNY Old Westbury is honoring its commitment to student success by increasing access to safe, quality food and other necessities,” said Dr. Timothy E. Sams, President. “We are grateful for The Home Depot Foundation grant and Team Depot volunteers for helping us fight food and basic need insecurities on behalf of those in our campus community.”
The new kitchen will enable students to prepare food they receive from the pantry and the entire operation will benefit from added storage space to accommodate the growing number of pantry donations being received.
The Panther Pantry opened in fall 2018 to combat growing food insecurity issues among students and their families. Now part of The Panther Community Care Center, the pantry moved to its current space in the Campus Center in April 2023, and has since seen a substantial increase in its utilization. The Pantry served more than 1,850 community members in Fall semester - a 97% increase than a year prior.
Banner Photo Caption: Home Depot volunteers and Old Westbury students and staff after adding improvements to the Panther Pantry.
About The Home Depot Foundation
The Home Depot Foundation, the nonprofit arm of The Home Depot, works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, support communities impacted by natural disasters and train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $500 million in veteran causes and improved more than 60,000 veteran homes and facilities. The Foundation has pledged to invest $750 million in veteran causes by 2030 and $50 million in training the next generation of skilled tradespeople through the Path to Pro program by 2028. To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation visit HomeDepotFoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @HomeDepotFound and on Facebook and Instagram @HomeDepotFoundation.