Three Rivers College food pantry receives $5,100 donation from Sparklight fund
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo., (KBSI) — The Three Rivers Endowment Trust has received a $5,100 donation from the Sparklight Charitable Giving Fund to support the Three Rivers College Food Pantry.
College officials said the donation will help expand food pantry services for students and provide additional resources such as hygiene products, emergency meal kits and life-skills programming.
“This is such an exciting gift for us to receive,” Brandi Brooks, director of enrollment services at Three Rivers College, said in a statement. She said the funding will allow the pantry to offer items beyond food, including hygiene supplies, and support programs such as cooking classes, meal preparation kits and budgeting instruction.
The Sparklight Charitable Giving Fund distributes $250,000 annually in grants to nonprofit organizations across the company’s service areas. The funding supports a range of programs, including STEM education, vocational training for individuals with disabilities and services for families in need.
“Access to food and basic essentials shouldn’t be a barrier to education,” said Travis Harr, Sparklight senior regional director for the North Central region. “Sparklight is proud to support the Three Rivers Endowment Trust’s work to ensure students have the resources they need to stay focused, healthy and on track toward graduation.”
Officials said the funding will help restock the pantry as demand has increased and support programs designed to strengthen food security and life skills among students.
The Three Rivers Food Pantry, established in 2019, has served hundreds of students. It is located in the Baptist Student Union near the Rivers Ridge Apartments in Poplar Bluff and is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for current students, faculty and staff.
Emergency food packs containing one to two days’ worth of meals and hygiene supplies are also available at all Three Rivers College locations for individuals facing immediate need.
The Three Rivers Endowment Trust is a nonprofit organization that manages donations supporting scholarships, campus projects and student services at the college.
