The collaborative effort between The Pantry and UC Davis Transportation Services supports students and addresses campus food insecurity
By MEGAN PUSL — campus@theaggie.org
From Nov. 12 to 22, The Pantry and UC Davis Department of Transportation Services are collaborating to waive student parking citations with qualifying Pantry donations.
If students received a parking citation on or before Nov. 5, they have the opportunity to bring eligible items, along with their citation number, to waive one citation. Students can do this at the Transportation and Parking Services building, located on North Dairy Road, from Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Qualifying items fall under each of these categories: canned food, carbs, canned protein, pantry staples and hygiene products, according to the program’s website. For more expensive citations, a greater number of items from each category is required, and the donation guidelines can also be found on the website.
The Donations for Citations Program also provides the opportunity for students to volunteer their time at The Pantry as a way to waive their citations.
Shelby Slutzker, the engagement and marketing specialist for UC Davis Department of Transportation Services, explained how this unique campus initiative came to life.
“This is something that has been in the works for quite a few months,” Slutzker said. “We were inspired by other campuses, we were inspired by some of our own students who use The Pantry. It’s definitely different than our normal operations, and it’s been fun!”
Slutzker then spoke about how the Donations for Citations program aligns with the transportation department’s mission.
“As an organization, we’re committed to supporting our UC Davis community and campus partners where we can,” Slutzker said. “We’re very excited to have been able to partner with The Pantry on a unique program that provides some relief for somebody who’s received a citation, but also supports an incredible campus organization addressing important issues like food insecurity.”
The Donations for Citations program aims to ease the burden of parking citations for students while supporting a meaningful campus initiative such as The Pantry.
Andie Tarabzooni, the unit director for The Pantry and a third-year economics and communications double major, highlighted the program’s purpose and its impact on students.
“This was our goal, to have students get a chance to waive these citations while contributing to something bigger,” Tarabzooni said. “[Citations] are a lot of money when you’re a student. I know no one intended to get that citation.”
Tarabzooni shared her vision for how the partnership could not only help students with parking citations but also raise awareness of The Pantry’s mission and services.
“I’m hoping this will encourage students to donate items to The Pantry and make people aware of what items we accept as donations,” Tarabzooni said. “If people had never heard of The Pantry, or maybe heard of it but never thought to visit it, I hope this encourages people to use it.”
As of the date of publication, there are only a couple of days left in the program, so make sure to bring your donations in as soon as possible. Additionally, keep in mind that donations should not be dropped off at The Pantry location but at the Transportation and Parking Services building instead.
Written by: Megan Pusl — campus@theaggie.org
