The VCentials store replaces a smaller, closet-style pantry on Valencia’s west Orange County campus. It aims to deal with a sobering statistic: In a 2021 survey, 40% of Valencia’s students reported struggling to afford the food they needed.
The new store, funded with a nearly $400,000 grant from Florida Blue, is a “dream come true,” said Valencia President Kathleen Plinske, as the college hosted the facility’s official opening Tuesday.
But students who are hungry, or worried about how to pay for groceries, aren’t in the right condition to maximize their academic success, she said.
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