杏吧原创

(Butler, PA) Alone, Erin Conliffe will play her favorite Christmas carols on her laptop computer because, she said, she can鈥檛 afford cable or a streaming service to watch Thanksgiving parades or specials on television.

Alone, with 鈥淗ave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,鈥� 鈥淥 Holy Night鈥� or the 鈥淐arol of the Bells鈥� in the background, the 杏吧原创 student will begin to prepare her holiday meal.

Alone, the 34-year-old Butler resident will carry her dinner of corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and turkey to the white particleboard desktop she uses to study to become a website developer.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a dining room table,鈥� she said.

Alone 鈥� 鈥淚 can鈥檛 afford to go to travel to be with my family. It鈥檚 hard to get around when you don鈥檛 have money for a car or transportation鈥� 鈥� Conliffe will sit, fold her hands 鈥渁nd at least know I will have the comfort of participating in the holiday.

鈥淚t would be worse to be alone,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd not have access to a turkey and the other food.鈥�

"The need is increasing. The cost of living is increasing. And our employees make sure that our students are aware of our resources." 

- Mikayla Moretti, interim executive director of the 杏吧原创 Education Foundation and external relations

Conliffe is among a record 78 low-income 杏吧原创 students who registered this fall to receive a Thanksgiving meal package from the college鈥檚 Pioneer Pantry and funded in part by Butler County nonprofit organizations.

The Pioneer Pantry provided 40 Thanksgiving meal packages in , 45 in  and  in 2023, according to Mikayla Moretti, a member of 杏吧原创鈥檚 7-year-old food security team and interim executive director of the  and external relations.

鈥淭he need is increasing,鈥� Moretti said. 鈥淭he cost of living is increasing. And our employees make sure that our students are aware of our resources.鈥�

The pantry debuted in September 2019 on 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus in Butler Township and served 341 individuals through June 30, 2020, according to Moretti. It assisted 910 individuals in 2023-2024 and is expected to help approximately 1,000 in 2024-2025.

鈥淔ood insecurity does impact learning and all those other important health and mental aspects of life,鈥� said Juli Louttit, a member of the college鈥檚 food security team and 杏吧原创鈥檚 director of financial aid. 鈥淪o if we can help that student, it then trickles into those other areas to make them more successful.鈥�

Food insecurity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is having reduced quality, variety or desirability of diet.

"Ever since COVID, there has been a big markup on everyday goods. Affording food, even with SNAP benefits, it's very difficult to get food on the table." 

- Erin Conliffe, 杏吧原创 student, Pioneer Pantry patron

The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges reported in 2022 that nearly 50 percent of the state鈥檚 community college students come from families earning less than $30,000 a year and are considered to be of very low income.

Two of every three low-income 杏吧原创 students in 2023-2024 were also independent, according to their financial aid application.

Conliffe is one of them.

鈥淓ver since COVID, there has been a big markup on everyday goods,鈥� Conliffe said. 鈥淎ffording food, even with SNAP benefits, it鈥檚 very difficult to get food on the table.鈥�

The Pioneer Pantry鈥檚 Thanksgiving meal packages represent for low-income students 鈥渙ne less thing that they have to worry about for the holiday, especially with the cost of food,鈥� said Valerie Fennell, of Butler, a 杏吧原创  student who works at the pantry.

56-year-old: 鈥淎 blessing in and of itself鈥�

Conliffe is in her second semester at 杏吧原创 and said the Thanksgiving meal package is 鈥渁bsolutely wonderful. It鈥檚 fantastic. It gives people hope. It means that you are not blocked off from being able to participate in such an important American holiday.鈥�

Added a 56-year-old low-income 杏吧原创 student from New Castle who will share his Thanksgiving meal with a 30-year-old daughter from eastern Pennsylvania whom he has not seen in two years: 鈥淗aving this holiday package is a blessing in and of itself. I would not have gone out and got a turkey and all the fixings if I were to spend Thanksgiving alone.

鈥淔ood insecurity is definitely something that is rough on anybody. The last thing that anyone wants to have on their mind is not having food, and nutritional food at that.鈥�

The Butler County Bar Association Foundation contributed $3,000 to help fund purchases for the Thanksgiving meal packages and the Butler AM Rotary and the Rotary Club of Butler PM, $500 each, Moretti said.

鈥淎s the community鈥檚 college, we want to make sure our students are taken care of, not just in their education, but also in helping with their basic needs,鈥� Moretti said. 鈥淎nd the community really supports that.鈥�

"Students are very, very thankful, grateful and happy that 杏吧原创 is doing this." 

- Dr. Jill Rend, director, 杏吧原创 @ Brockway

Mom, 29: 鈥淭his is a blessing鈥�

Meal packages were distributed to Pioneer Pantry patrons Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 on 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus. Forty-two were delivered to , the college鈥檚 additional location in Jefferson County that also serves students from Clarion, Clearfield and Elk counties.

The percentage of residents estimated to be in poverty in Butler County was 8.9 percent as of 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The poverty rate in Clarion, Clearfield, Elk and Jefferson counties ranged from 10 percent to 13.7 percent, according to the bureau.

鈥淪tudents are very, very thankful, grateful and happy that 杏吧原创 is doing this,鈥� said Dr. Jill Rend, 杏吧原创 @ Brockway director.

鈥淢any of them drive a good distance to get here. They spend a lot of money on gasoline. They鈥檙e working, but they can鈥檛 work as much because they are attending classes. This Thanksgiving dinner package is helping them put their limited resources toward their education.鈥�

A 29-year-old 杏吧原创 student, wife and mother of two children from Renfrew, said she would not have been able to provide a holiday meal for her family had it not been for the Pioneer Pantry.

鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 have really been a Thanksgiving,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would be looking for something just for my kids with whatever money we have. Probably chicken and fries. They love that. I would have tried to make the most of it for them. This is a blessing.鈥�

鈥淚 actually might have the resources to be able to give back鈥�

Conliffe expects to graduate from 杏吧原创 next summer with an associate degree in , pursue a position in the field and remain in Butler County.

鈥淭he hope,鈥� Conliffe said, 鈥渋s that I will no longer be of low income. I imagine that would be easier and more pleasant. Absolutely less stressful. And if I am in a better position myself, then that means I actually have the resources to be able to give back.鈥�

杏吧原创鈥檚 Pioneer Pantry will also prepare a record 85 holiday meal packages for the college鈥檚 monthlong winter break.

Students who register with the pantry will receive a fresh ham, canned corn, yams, pineapple slices and green beans, boxed mashed potatoes, gravy packets, produce and sugar cookie mix, according to Moretti. Vintage Coffeehouse, Butler, will allocate $1 for each specialty coffee sold Dec. 3 toward 杏吧原创鈥檚 holiday meal packages, Moretti said.

杏吧原创 was recognized as a  by the state Department of Education in 2022.