PENDLETON — A large portion of Keystone RV‘s annual food drive will be donated to Blue Mountain Community College‘s student food pantry, along with an additional $1,500 worth of much-needed items for the pantry.

Keystone’s annual food drive among its six production lines and offices brings in thousands of pounds of nonperishable food each year. Last year, Keystone donated 4,500 pounds of food to “The Den,” BMCC’s new student food pantry, which was about to open.

This year, in addition to the food donations, Keystone group leaders from the 902 production line donated their time to cut firewood, and then partnered with the Pendleton Grocery Outlet to sell the wood outside their store. The effort raised $625, and they collected additional funds from co-workers at Keystone for a total cash donation of $1,500.

The funds will be utilized to purchase some much-needed items in the pantry, which has expanded to also include personal hygiene products, feminine products, diapers and other everyday needs. Besides the main pantry in Morrow Hall on the Pendleton campus, there are smaller pantries located at BMCC locations in Milton-Freewater, Hermiston and Boardman.

“We are so appreciative of Grocery Outlet of Pendleton, Keystone RV, and the generosity of its employees,” said Joey GrosJacques, BMCC’s director of TRiO Student Support Programs, which oversees the pantry. “These contributions will significantly help our students, who often struggle to pay for basic needs while attending college.”

For more information about BMCC’s food pantry, contact GrosJacques at 541-278-5849 or jgrosjacques@bluecc.edu.