The event introduced students to resources such as CalFresh, amongst other social services
By JESSICA YUNG — campus@theaggie.org
From. Feb. 24 to 28, the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center held a series of events known as CalFresh Outreach Week. These events included a pizza and drinks social, an informational day at their center and the LGBTQIA Resource Center, a meal at the Aggie Eats food truck and a “Pickling 101” workshop.
The Peer Navigators at the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center, including Lisa Pan, a second-year clinical nutrition major, Lorena Alvarez Flores, a second-year political science — public service major, Dylan Jang, a fourth-year food science major, and Myo Maung, a fourth-year communications major, described the event as a way to ensure that students know what services are available to them.
“Outreach Week is a time when Aggie Compass focuses on making sure students know about the resources available to support them,” the peer navigators said. “A big part of the week highlights CalFresh and how students can access food assistance. It’s also an opportunity to spread awareness about the Basic Needs Center as a whole. Many students don’t realize the range of support we offer [from] food and housing assistance to financial and wellness resources.”
On their website, Aggie Compass provides information and access to students about the various resources they provide. It also states their mission and goal for the community.
“The Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center helps by providing access to nutritious food, assistance applying for CalFresh and other social services, access to economic crisis resources, case management and immediate shelter and support for unhoused students,” the website reads.
The peer navigators, whose role is to support students at Aggie Compass, elaborated on the assistance that the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center provides.
“Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center is here to make sure students have the
support they need to be successful at UC Davis,” the peer navigators said. “We help students access essential resources like food, housing, financial assistance and wellness support — because we shouldn’t have to choose between education and meeting our basic needs.”
One way that Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center can help students, and the main promotion of the week, is through CalFresh.
“CalFresh, also known as SNAP/EBT, is a long-term food assistance program for low-income people who meet federal income eligibility rules and want to add to their budget to put healthy and nutritious food on the table,” the website reads.
The peer navigators explained more of what CalFresh offers.
“CalFresh is a federally funded nutrition program that helps students afford groceries by providing up to $292 per month in food benefits,” the peer navigators said. “It’s designed to support those with financial need, making it easier to access nutritious meals. For many students, CalFresh can be a crucial resource in reducing food insecurity and ensuring they have the energy to focus on their education.”
Many students use CalFresh to supplement their funds while they learn at UC Davis. Saul Duran, a fourth-year computer science major, said that CalFresh helps students in need.
“It’s important that programs like CalFresh are a thing since it helps many students in need who otherwise wouldn’t be able to eat,” Duran said.
Lola Jung, a fourth-year art studio major, said that CalFresh has been a lifesaver for her.
“I’m an undergrad myself, [and CalFresh] is, no exaggeration, a lifesaver,” Jung said. “With so little time to work and make money while being a student, it would actually be impossible to eat properly, let alone healthily [without CalFresh].”
Affording both food and housing costs has been a worsening problem for university students everywhere, and particularly in California, according to World Population Review.
“California has the nation’s third-highest cost of living index at 142.2,” the website reads. “California’s transportation costs are the second-highest in the country, due in part to high gas prices in the State. Housing in California is twice the national average, with a typical single-family home priced at $683,996.”
Leslie Kemp, the director of UC Davis Basic Needs Initiative and Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center, stated that change is occurring to help students with these issues.
“Students shouldn’t have to skip meals or choose between rent and food just to get an
education,” Kemp said. “CalFresh provides crucial, ongoing support, but we know that not every student qualifies and the student exemption rules and citizenship requirements leave a lot without access to healthy food.”
Kemp continued by describing other alternative resources to CalFresh.
“That’s why we’ve developed solutions like our county-approved Local Programs for Increased Eligibility (LPIE), which helps students qualify for CalFresh when they don’t meet the work [or] work training requirement,” Kemp said. “For those who are ineligible due to other student exemption rules, we created AggieFresh — a pilot program that provides the same level of monthly food support as CalFresh to students who would otherwise qualify.”
The peer navigators described how students can interact with their services.
“Students can access our services in whatever way works best for them — they can email us (compass@ucdavis.edu), give us a call [at] (530) 752-9254 or stop by Aggie Compass in person at the [Memorial Union], no appointment necessary, just walk in and let us know what kind of support you’re looking for,” the peer navigators said. “We can provide direct assistance or connect you with other campus and community resources. Depending on the service, you may need to show your student ID, fill out a quick form or sign a document, but we can help.”
Written by: Jessica Yung— campus@theaggie.org
