The Tulsa Community College (TCC) Student Life operates a Fuel Pantry at each campus where enrolled students can access food and hygiene products free of charge.
It has been an indispensable resource to countless students over the years. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the supply began to deplete slowly. This did not go unnoticed.
What initially appeared to be an inevitable necessity to restock items remained persistent over time. Days and weeks went by until it was finally revealed that this lack of resources was here to stay if nobody intervened.
“TCC hadn’t had a problem because there had always been funding from outside organizations. The funding is not over, it is limited so we need to focus on efficiency,” says Chrys Melissinos, treasurer of the Student Government Association (SGA).
Thankfully, there was a much-needed intervention. The “Fuel the Future” campaign was launched as a response.
Kameron Sanders, SGA president, says, “We really saw a problem for the fuel pantry and needed to provide essential resources for our students”. SGA, in collaboration with Student Life, sought to resolve the lack of resources by creating a campaign, “Fuel the Future.” The campaign’s main objective is to encourage the TCC Community and its counterparts to donate to the Fuel Pantry and create awareness of the food shortage among college students.
“The best change happens when it comes from the people that it affects the most. We are supporting students and empowering them with the tools to make change in the community and I think there’s something really powerful in that,” says Judah Brown, a senator with the SGA.
“I really wanted to focus on the impact that students as a whole can make when we all come together. So to do that rather than just have the SGA donate to the Fuel Pantry, I wanted to have secondary means where the whole campus can get involved.”
“Fuel the Future” officially began on Sept. 29 and will end on Oct. 31. However, the Fuel Pantry is open to receiving donations throughout the Fall 2025 semester.
According to Dr. SethAnne Lange, dean of Student Life, “The goal of the Fuel Pantry is to give students resources and to make sure we do not have any barriers that will keep them from being able to focus on being a student. Our enrollment is up, the amount of need is up, so having food come in from different directions is going to help as we move into the holiday season”.
Some of the most requested items include: chicken, canned or dried beans, nut butters, rice, pasta, canned fruit, canned soups, shelf-stable condiments, and toiletries. All donations will help support families in the TCC community.
“We work with the Food Bank (of Eastern Oklahoma) and Food on the Move and I appreciate those partnerships. The biggest challenge is just making sure we are always able to have the items stocked and having the items students are really wanting. We are trying to make sure to have funding or availability to replace those items and having procurement of these items as part of our schedule” says Dr. Lange.
One of TCC’s mottos is “Community Unites Us,” which is evident in this campaign.
Dr. Lange says, “We have faculty and staff that will drop off items quite often. We have had faculty do challenges with their classes, offer extra credit, or they make it part of their service learning opportunities, which is incredible because it really benefits the pantry. Having this type of large food drive just makes everyone know that they can contribute and that everything will be appreciated and utilized immediately.”
Together, we can build a healthy, thriving community that will succeed in its educational prospects.
For more information, contact the Student Government Association at https://www.tulsacc.edu/experience/clubs-organizations/student-government-association
