Charter Oak State College's
Virtual Food Bank has an annual budget of $2,000, donated by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities and from Stop and Shop. The Virtual Food Bank is intended to help students who, due to unforeseen circumstances, find themselves short on meeting their grocery demands. The average Virtual Food Bank award generally falls within the $50-$100 range, but may be more or less, depending on circumstances.
Upon submitting a request, an administrator will review for eligibility. If eligible, the administrator will make a determination on award amount. Once the decision is made, the administrator will contact the student via their Charter Oak email, inform them of the award decision, and mail the Stop and Shop gift cards to the student. The process may take up to 14 days. If there are additional questions, the process may take longer.
Please note that Charter Oak's Virtual Food Bank is intended for a short term need. Students with longer term food security needs should seek out resources like the Connecticut Foodshare or Food Assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Virtual Food Bank will remain available as long as there are funds in the account. Once funds are depleted, the account will not be recharged until the following academic year. Please note that any information provided in this form will be handled discretely and will not be shared.
Click here to access the Virtual Food Pantry Request Form.