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New Jersey’s Community Colleges Partner for Opportunity in Action to Address Student Hunger
Toms River, NJ —Ocean County College is proud to announce its participation in Feed the Future: Fight Student Hunger, a statewide initiative to combat student food insecurity at New Jersey’s community colleges. The campaign, which officially launched the week of September 22-26, 2025, during National Hunger Action Month, is a partnership of New Jersey’s Community Colleges, the Future Alumni Support Team (FAST), and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC).
Food insecurity is a significant barrier to student success. A recent Hope Center #RealCollege survey of New Jersey community colleges found that 39% of student respondents were food insecure in the 30 days prior to the survey, a figure that aligns with national trends. By addressing this critical need, Feed the Future: Fight Student Hunger aims to ensure students can focus on their studies without worrying about where their next meal will come from.
“At Ocean County College, we understand that a student’s success is about more than just what happens in the classroom,” said Dr. Pamela Monaco, President of Ocean County College. “Helping our students meet their basic needs, such as access to food, is critically important to ensuring they can complete their education and achieve their goals. We are proud to be a part of this collaborative statewide effort.”
Feed the Future: Fight Student Hunger provides a simple way for donors to make a direct impact. Funds are being raised through the online platform Spotfund.com. Donors can visit the website, choose to support Ocean County College, and all funds raised will go directly to OCC to support its Helping Hands food pantry and other nutrition-focused programs.
For more information and to donate, please visit the Feed the Future: Fight Student Hunger website.
Feed the Future: Fight Student Hunger is a product of the NJCCC’s Opportunity Agenda, specifically the state’s community colleges’ commitment to fostering student success and completion by creating broader, sustained partnerships to address the basic needs of students. The Opportunity Agenda serves as a blueprint for building an equitable and prosperous future for the State of New Jersey.
Feed the Future: Fight Student Hunger builds upon a successful pilot launched on Giving Tuesday in December 2024 with the American Association of Community Colleges. Feed the Future: Fight Student Hunger will provide crucial philanthropic support for New Jersey’s community colleges’ food pantries and nutrition centers, ensuring community college students have the holistic supports they need to succeed academically and professionally.
About Ocean County College
For 60 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that empower diverse learners to achieve their goals while enriching the communities we serve. Learn more at ocean.edu.
About the Future Alumni Support Team
The Future Alumni Support Team’s mission is to raise philanthropic support for post-secondary education to lift students from low-income backgrounds out of poverty and eliminate the need for life-long government assistance. The vision is for students, especially those enrolled in community colleges, to pursue an education free of food insecurity and its impact on graduation rates. The Future Alumni Support Team was founded by Princeton University Alumni Dr. Matthew Carabasi and Jim Rafeedie. To learn more about FAST, visit https://www.futurealumnisupportteam.org/.
About the New Jersey Council of County Colleges
Governed by the presidents and trustees of the state’s 18 community colleges and enshrined in state law, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) supports New Jersey’s community colleges and the more than 230,000 students they serve annually across 49 locations by fostering collaboration and developing solutions that expand access to college, promote equity and student success, and create a skilled workforce to drive economic growth. NJCCC brings together the state’s community colleges to build a world-class, flexible higher education and workforce development system that can respond to the needs of local communities and employers while having statewide reach and impact. NJCCC promotes innovation and policy changes to help New Jersey’s community colleges in their efforts to achieve academic, social, and economic mobility for all residents. To learn more about NJCCC, visit https://www.njcommunitycolleges.org/.