Valencia College celebrated the grand opening of its second VCentials location on its Osceola campus on Monday morning.
“At Valencia College, we share a big idea that anyone can learn anything under the right conditions, and creating the right conditions for learning means more than just offering excellent instruction in the classroom,” said Valencia College President Dr. Kathlee Plinske. “It means removing barriers that stand in the way of our students’ success, and one of the most pressing barriers that our students face is food insecurity. This is not a new challenge at Valencia.”
Plinske said in 2021 a Valencia survey revealed that a staggering 40% of our students reported food insecurity so severe that they skipped meals due to financial constraints.
“There was a student who shared with one of our faculty members in office hours,” Plinske said. “‘Do you know what the difference is between high school and college? In high school, they fed me lunch.’ How can we expect students to learn algebra when they are hungry or wonder where their next meal will come from? If we are going to live up to our big idea, we must do more than simply acknowledge this challenge.”
Plinske said this is why VCentials are so important.
“VCentials is not just a pantry, it is a dignified, welcoming market, where students can select fresh produce and healthy groceries free of charge,” Plinske said. “These markets give students one less barrier and one more opportunity to thrive.”
Florida Blue Foundation’s investment brought forth other extraordinary like the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Walt Disney World, the Universal Orlando Foundation, and Dr Phillips Charities, along with individual donors, to help expand and strengthen essentials across Valencia’s campuses.
“Together, this collective commitment ensures that no student has to choose between focusing on their education or putting food on the table here in Osceola County,” Plinske said. “This work also ties directly to the Osceola Prosper program, which provides graduates of Osceola County High Schools with the opportunity to attend Valencia or Osceola Technical College, tuition-free.”
Senior health science major John Urbach, who works for the Osceola Prosper office at Valencia Osceola Campus, said the VCentials market will take a lot of stress off students.
“Food is expensive, and a lot of these students can’t afford to always eat, and that is just the reality of things,” Urbach said. “I think to be able to come in here and grab anything for free, no questions asked, is a huge blessing to our community.”
Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Lesley Frederick said the school has already seen the extraordinary impact of this work.
“Since the first VCentials market opened our West Campus in 2023, we have had over 60,000 visits and served more than 5,000 unduplicated visitors,” Frederick said. “Perhaps most striking of all, 82% of those visitors self-reported living under the federal poverty level, and 38% reported that at least one person in the household was under the age of 18. These numbers remind us that the need is real and that together, we are making a profound difference.”
Frederick said she has a message for students.
“To our students that are here, this place is for you,” Frederick said. “We hope you use it, feel supported by it, and know that you belong here.”
“We cannot wait to see the lives that will be touched because of this space,” Plinske said.
