On Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving taking place this year on Dec. 3, Cal State Fullerton invites the community to support its Student Assistance Fund for Emergencies (SAFE).
Project SAFE provides support for students experiencing food, housing and transportation insecurities by offering meal plan assistance; temporary housing assistance; and emergency funds for unforeseen hardships such as medical bills, loss of work hours or scholarship/financial aid delays.
All donations will be matched up to $7,500 by the university’s Alumni Association and The Gastronome.
According to a 2018 study of student basic needs released by the California State University system, 41.6 percent of students reported food insecurity and 10.9 percent of students reported experiencing homelessness one or more times.
In its first year of service, the university’s Tuffy’s Basic Needs Services Center saw 1,797 visitors, fulfilled 1,320 requests for hygiene products, distributed more than 500 gift cards to on-campus eateries and disbursed more than $20,000 in emergency grant funds.
“Our goal is to connect students with on- or off-campus resources that will best provide immediate and long-term support for their unique needs,” said Victoria Ajemian, basic needs center coordinator. “We hope that services provided by Tuffy’s Basic Needs Services Center allow students to focus on their educational goals and persist at CSUF to their graduation.”
Gifts to Cal State Fullerton’s Student Assistance Fund for Emergencies can be made online.