The United Way of South Texas Board of Directors generously awarded South Texas College (STC) a grant to expand their food pantry, aimed at combatting the growing challenge of food insecurity faced by college students. Dr. Ricardo J. Solis, STC President, along with STC Board and Foundation Members welcomed Lilly Lopez, United Way S. TX President/CEO, and United Way Board Members to discuss the immediate positive impact of the grant. This initiative seeks to provide students with reliable access to food, ensuring that they can focus on their academic pursuits without the burden of hunger.

 The donation will allow STC to provide healthy and nutritious meals to the four student food pantries located across the Mid-Valley, Pecan, Technology, and Starr County campuses. Additionally, a new pantry is set to open this spring at the Nursing and Allied Health campus. STC’s food pantries provide food insecurity to hundreds of students each semester. In the spring of 2024, more than 975 students benefited from the services across the Starr County, Pecan, and Mid-Valley campuses. United Way is joining South Texas College (STC) to address the pressing issue of food insecurity, to continue providing essential assistance to even more college students in the upcoming year, fostering a healthier and more supportive learning environment.

“United Way is committed to supporting programs that strengthen families and our community. The Board of Directors is proud of our investments in food pantries throughout Hidalgo and Starr Counties and our new partnership with South Texas College,” Larry C. Gonzalez, President of PlainsCapital Bank and UW Board Chairman said. “Hunger doesn’t end when a child turns eighteen, in fact, often the need may be greater, as they lean into adulthood and become independent.”

            The Healthier Community grant awarded to South Texas College was made possible by the generosity of corporations and individuals who contribute annually to the United Way of South Texas. The United Way of South Texas encourages individuals seeking health and human service assistance to call 2-1-1 or visit https://www.211texas.org/ for available resources in our community. United Way funds programs that include emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence and for the homeless; after-school, youth leadership, and homework assistance programs for children; end-of-life care services; advocates for children in foster care; free income tax preparation services for families who earn $65,000 a year or less; assistance for families affected by natural disasters and single home fires, and much more. Call 956-686-6331 to learn more about investing in community solutions that support Youth Opportunity, Healthy Communities, Financial Security and Community Resiliency programs.

About United Way:

United Way of South Texas invests in programs that address critical services in the areas of Healthy Communities, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, and Community Resilience. The organization supports 21 non-profit agencies in Hidalgo and Starr Counties that serve a minimum of 180,000 local residents annually. Services provided by United Way of South Texas through Partner Agencies include emergency shelter, family violence counseling, character-building programs, child victim advocacy, and infant stimulation classes. To learn more, visit www.unitedwayofsotx.org. If you would like to support United Way programs with a monetary donation, you may mail a tax-deductible check to United Way of South Texas at P.O. Box 187, McAllen, TX 78505-0187 or pledge online at https://unitedwayofsotx.org/donate-now/. For volunteer opportunities, visit volunteersotx.org.