Responding to the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on Stan State students, Wells Fargo has made a $30,000 donation to the Stan State California Faculty Association Campus Cares initiative, with $15,000 going toward the Student Emergency Fund and $15,000 to the Food Insecurity Fund, which supports the Warrior Food Pantry.
“Wells Fargo sets the example for a caring community-University partnership,” Stanislaus State President Ellen Junn said. “We are profoundly grateful that they have recognized the needs of our students during this unprecedented crisis and have made this generous contribution to their well-being. What our students are facing is unlike any challenge they’ve confronted before, and this gift from Wells Fargo will help ensure our students can continue their educational pursuits.”
The gift is a continuation of the generosity Wells Fargo has demonstrated to the University for more than three decades. During that time, the financial institution has donated more than $360,000 to a variety of University programs, most recently providing $35,000 in October to support the Food Insecurities Fund, Veterans Affairs programs and the Promise Scholars program for former foster youth.
The current donation comes as students are adjusting to upheaval in nearly every facet of their lives, including not only adjusting to online learning, but also job losses and the ability to feed themselves.
Their need is reflected in the requests for assistance from the Student Emergency Fund, which have increased 138 percent so far this semester in comparison to requests from fall 2019.
There have been more than 8,200 visits to the Warrior Food Pantry since the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. Already more than double the previous year. And as of March 24, the current academic year has seen the distribution of more than 1,200 food boxes. During the last distribution in the Quad, on March 18, the 100 available boxes of food were gone within two hours.
With Wells Fargo Modesto District Manager Oscar Cabello serving on the California State University, Stanislaus Foundation Board, the bank is attuned to the mission of the University and the needs of its students as they pursue their education and look to contribute to the community upon graduation.
“Like many Americans, college students are struggling to find where their next meal will come from, how they’ll pay their rent and college tuition, while focusing on earning their degree. Many are navigating these uncharted waters alone, as they are far from family,” Cabello said. “Wells Fargo wants to alleviate some of those concerns. Supporting Stanislaus State’s Student Emergency Fund and Food Insecurities Fund ensures that these students have the help and support they need to get through this pandemic and become tomorrow’s future leaders.”