By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
In an effort to allow students to focus more on their studies and worry less about where their next meal was going to come from, Barton Community College created the Cougar Supply Den in 2017. The small room inside the library provides food, water, personal care items, clothing, bedding and cookware.
Nolan Esfeld and Patrick Busch, both with the Central Kansas Upward Bound Project through Barton, help operate the shop.
Busch said the items
are free to all students taking classes on campus.
"There are a lot of students on campus that can't get to dinner or lunch," said Busch. "Some people have to work in the evening and they have no way of getting food. We've had students that had to choose between getting gas or lunch. We want them to focus on their studying and you can't do that if you're hungry."
Since the beginning of the 2021 fall semester, more than 1,800 uses of the Cougar Supply Den have been recorded.
Barton Vice President of Student Services
Angie Maddy said you never know what type of an impact you can make from a
service like this.
"We had a student that drove a little way, spent all day on campus and did an internship in Hoisington...she was here a long time," said Maddy. "On days when she was fortunate, she would bring a granola bar or a pudding cup for the whole day. She went up to our former librarian one night and asked if she knew who was leaving snacks out on the table. She wanted to tell them thank you because it made a big difference for her."
The Cougar Supply Den is open Monday - Friday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and
again 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday - Thursday. The room is also accessible
Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.