The Criminology and Justice Studies department offices are the headquarters for the CSUN Food Pantry food drive, taking place Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2022. Photo by Jenny Steinbeck.

Those extra canned goods sitting in your kitchen cupboards could go a long way toward helping Matadors in need. The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the CSUN Police Department and other campus organizations are sponsoring a weeklong, campus-wide food drive, Monday, Oct. 31 through Friday, Nov. 4 to collect non-perishable food items and toiletries for the CSUN Food Pantry.

Staff and faculty members in the college’s Department of Criminology and Justice Studies are spearheading efforts to distribute collection boxes and collect food items around campus. Repurposed computer boxes with green flyers attached are stacked up in the department’s Sierra Hall ground-floor office, ready to take and fill with food and toiletry items. Come and get ’em, Matadors!

Before there was an official food pantry on campus, her colleague and mentor, James David Ballard, who currently teaches in the department, ran an informal food closet for students out of his office, said Jaycynda Trifone-Woodruff, a professor of criminology and justice studies. Now, post-pandemic, the need is greater than ever, she said.

“In the classroom … there are students who have said [this semester], ‘I don’t know where my next meal is coming from, I don’t know what to do,'” Trifone-Woodruff said. “So, I have definitely seen a growing need and the importance of being able to sustain our community.” 

The department’s goal is to gather 3 tons of food for CSUN’s Food Pantry the professor said.

“The goal really is to fill the food pantry not only for Thanksgiving, but for the rest of the semester and as much as we can for the spring semester as well,” she said. 

The donation wish list includes: 

• Canned foods, such as soups, beans, fruit, tuna, chicken and vegetables.  
• Dry packaged foods, such as oatmeal, cereal, rice and peanut butter. 
• Toiletries, such as shampoo, deodorant, soap, toilet paper and feminine hygiene items.  

Donation boxes are located at the department’s Sierra Hall offices, room 165, as well as at the CSUN Police Department on Darby at Prairie Street. To request a donation box for your office, department or area on campus, you can also call (818) 677-7620.