EDUCATION ISN’T CHEAP, IT’S ALSO NOT EXCLUSIVE TO PEOPLE WHO COME FROM FINANCIALLY STABLE BACKGROUNDS. WELL, THE MCGEORGE SCHOOL OF LAW SEES A TOLL FIRSTHAND. THE FINANCIAL BURDEN HAS ON STUDENTS, AND IT’S HOLDING A FOOD DRIVE TO HELP OUT. THIS MORNING WE WELCOME IN MCGEORGE SCHOOL OF LAW DEAN MICHAEL HUNTER SCHWARTZ. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. SO AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TOPICS THAT WE HEAR YEAR ROUND. BUT DURING THE HOLIDAYS, WHAT’S THE LEVEL OF NEED THAT YOU’RE SEEING OUT THERE. YEAH. SO I THINK LIKE NATIONALLY IT’S ALMOST 55% OF ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS HAVE NEED HAVE FOOD INSECURITY. AND OUR OWN STUDIES OF LAW STUDENTS, AT LEAST AT MCGEORGE IS LIKE 43, 45% OF OUR STUDENTS. SO PRETTY CLOSE. YES, YES. IT’S VERY IT’S VERY SERIOUS. AND PART OF IT REALLY IS, IS THAT AT A SCHOOL LIKE MCGEORGE, WHERE ALMOST HALF OF OUR STUDENTS ARE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE, MUCH LESS LAW SCHOOL, THEY’RE NOT COMING FROM SIGNIFICANT WEALTH. AND I GOT TO IMAGINE, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU PROBABLY HAVE SEEN OR EITHER HEARD THESE STORIES FIRSTHAND. YES, THEY’RE SORT OF HEARTBREAKING, ACTUALLY. WE WERE INSPIRED TO CREATE THIS THIS VIRTUAL FOOD BANK A FEW YEARS AGO BY TWO OF OUR ALUMNI TELLING STORIES, THEIR OWN STORIES OF FOOD INSECURITY. ONE WHO A PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER AT MCGEORGE, SAW THAT SHE WAS STRUGGLING. AND SO EVERY OTHER WEEK OR SO, HE WOULD JUST QUIETLY GIVE HER A BAG OF GROCERIES. AND THEN ANOTHER ONE WAS HE WAS STRUGGLING SO MUCH. HE’S NOW THIS POWERHOUSE ATTORNEY IN LAW SCHOOL. HE WAS REALLY STRUGGLING, AND HE WOULD HANG OUT NEAR THE THE STUDENT LUNCHROOM SO THAT WHEN THEY SHUT THAT DOWN, THEY MIGHT HAVE A FEW LEFTOVERS. THEY’D BE WILLING TO GIVE HIM. WOW. AND AS YOU JUST TOUCHED ON, THIS IS ACTUALLY A VIRTUAL FOOD BANK, NOT ONE OF THOSE WHERE PEOPLE GO AROUND COLLECTING EVERYTHING. CORRECT? YES. SO IT’S VERY DIFFERENT THAN A TYPICAL ONE BECAUSE THE THE STUDENTS DON’T HAVE TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS STRUGGLING. SO INSTEAD OF WALKING INTO A ROOM AND COMING OUT WITH TWO BAGS OF DRY GOODS, THEY GO TO OUR DEAN OF STUDENTS OFFICE AND THEY COME OUT WITH A $100 GROCERY CARD FOR THE LOCAL GROCERY STORE. OH, I LOVE THAT. THAT’S GREAT FOR ANONYMITY PURPOSES AS WELL. AND THERE’S ALSO BEEN A NEW ENDOWMENT ESTABLISHED. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. YES. SO THIS IS MY LAST NEXT, NEXT SEMESTER WILL BE MY LAST SEMESTER AS DEAN. AND THE LAW SCHOOL AND THE UNIVERSITY. THE UNIVERSITY HAS THAT SAME COMMITMENT TO SERVING OUR STUDENTS WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TO HONOR MY TIME AS DEAN. AND SO WE CREATED AN ENDOWMENT THAT WILL SORT OF SUSTAIN THE FOOD BANK IN PERPETUITY. SURE, IF FOLKS WANT TO HELP OUT AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE WHERE YOU’RE NOT ASKING FOLKS TO BRING IN CANNED GOODS OR ANYTHING OR NON-PERISHABLES. HOW CAN FOLKS GIVE IF THEY WANT TO, YOU KNOW, JUST LEND A LITTLE HELPING HAND? YES. AND WHAT’S AMAZING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, A $100 DONATION ACTUALLY GIVES STUDENTS FOOD FOR A SIGNIFICANT PERIOD OF THEIR, OF THEIR, OF THEIR LEGAL EDUCATION. SO ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS JUST GO TO OUR WEBSITE. THEY CAN CLICK ON THE THE ENDOWMENT AND THEY’D BE ABLE TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO, TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WHO ARE REALLY STRUGGLING. ALL RIGHT, DEAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING TIME FOR US. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND REAL QUICK. OBVIOUSLY WE’RE TRYING TO COLLECT SOME MONEY FOR FOR FOLKS AROUND THIS TIME. BUT IS THIS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO YEAR ROUND? OH, YES. ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE WE’VE HAD THIS SINCE JUST BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, AND WE’VE GIVEN OUT ALMOST $90,000 WORTH OF THOSE $100 GROCERY CARDS. WOW. ALL DONATED MONEY FROM ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. FANTASTIC. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. MEANWHILE, UP IS ONE OF MANY SCHOOLS AROUND THE AREA LOOKING TO COMBAT FOOD INSECURITY AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS. OTHER SCHOOLS THAT OFFER FREE FOOD FOR STUDENTS INCLUDE SACRAMENTO STATE’S AC FOOD PANTRY, UC DAVIS, THE PANTRY, AND SAN JOAQUIN DELTA COLLEGE’S STUDENT FOOD PANTRY. STUDENTS CAN ALSO FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOURS AND HOW TO GET FREE GROCERIES THROUGH THO