LA PLATA — The College of Southern Maryland will mark Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week with events at all three of its campuses next week, with the college pointing students to its on-campus food pantry as demand rises heading into winter.
The week runs Nov. 15-21. Each event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.:
- Monday, Nov. 16: Leonardtown Campus, Student Lounge (B 102)
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: La Plata Campus, Campus Center (CC Building) Room 100
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Prince Frederick Campus, Student Lounge (PFA 104)
According to the college, activities include making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, writing encouraging notes and sharing resources. Project Linus blankets, scarves and gloves also are part of the events. Jehnell Linkins, the coordinator, and student worker Keiron Dent are among the staff involved, the college said.
The college cited a Maryland Food Bank estimate that more than one in three Marylanders face food insecurity.
CSM’s Hawk Pantry is on the first floor of the Lorraine Diana ’79 and Robert Guite Learning Resource Center (LR Building) and serves students by appointment. The pantry served more than 560 students and distributed 1,283 pounds of food in fiscal year 2026, the college said, and November through January is its busiest season. It is accepting donations of pasta, tomato sauce, shelf-stable meats and oral care items. Students can reach the pantry at hawksgethelp@csmd.edu.
A $8,000 grant from the Maryland Higher Education Commission will pay for lockers with QR-code access at the Prince Frederick Campus this spring, with other campuses to follow, according to the college’s announcement.
The pantry network dates to January 2022, when the Chronicle reported that students, faculty and staff celebrated the official opening of CSM’s Hawk Food Pantries.
