LBCC’s Basic Needs program hosted its very first Viking Village Night Market on Oct. 14 to celebrate the announcement of extended hours for the Viking Vault.
The night market took place in the Building T quad from 5 to 7 p.m. and offered free produce, clothing and activities.
The Viking Vault will now remain open until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, extending its hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. to better serve LBCC students with evening classes.
Basic Needs Coordinator Melissa Rodriguez said that the program’s services need to be accessible to all students.
“I wanted to make sure that we are tailoring events to all students and not just having events during the day, making sure that we are also tailoring to our evening students,” Rodriguez said.
The extended hours had been in the works for some time, with the goal of making basic needs resources more accessible to students regardless of when they are on campus.
Siblings Ava and Logan Underwood browse the variety of fruits and vegetables during the Viking Village Night Market on Oct. 14. The event celebrated the newly extended hours of the Viking Vault. (Araceli Juarez)
“From my knowledge, the Viking Vault is still in its infancy, so it’s still growing and constantly changing so they can meet the demands of the students,” CalFresh ambassador Mannie Villalobos said.
The extended hours benefit students and staff alike, offering more opportunities for everyone on campus.
Student Diana Marquez said the extended hours could make the Viking Vault more accessible for students like her who work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and attend evening classes afterward.
“Just knowing the new schedule, I’ll definitely make more of an effort to take advantage of whatever resources are offered,” Marquez said.
LBCC student Danny Lopez Angulo looking through the donated clothes rack from the Viking Vault during the Viking Village Night Market on Oct. The night market offered free produce and clothes for the LBCC community. (Araceli Juarez)
As the Viking Vault continues to grow, the extended Wednesday hours mark another step toward making basic needs resources more accessible to the entire LBCC community.
By accommodating students with different schedules, the program hopes to ensure that no student misses out on essential support simply because of when they attend classes.
You must be logged in to post a comment.