LA GRANDE — Community Connection of Northeast Oregon hosted a pop-up food pantry for college students on Sept. 21 during Eastern Oregon University’s mass testing event.

All students who planned to attend classes on campus had to take a COVID-19 test. Community Connection in a press release stated the pop-up food pantry gave students the opportunity to access food and learn about the resources available to them.

The university asked students who are attending classes on campus to quarantine for the first week of the fall term, and the food pantry was a way for them to get groceries without going out into the community to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Community Connection reported the pantry distributed 12,000 pounds of food to 629 students during the event. The groceries included fresh produce, canned food and pantry staples.

The Union County COVID Wraparound Support Group, which includes Community Connection of Northeast Oregon and the Center for Human Development, La Grande, partnered with EOU’s Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion and Career Services to provide the testing, food distribution and resource fair.