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Gateway and Apartment Association Outreach join to stamp out hunger with Food for Thought pantry


In an ongoing joint commitment to stamping out campus hunger, the Apartment Association Outreach, Inc. (AAO) and Gateway Community & Technical College have dedicated the Food for Thought Food Pantry located on Gateway’s Edgewood campus.

AAO – the 501c3 not-for-profit charitable organization of the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Apartment Association (GCNKAA) – donated to Gateway a SABA Commercial Grade 2-door glass front refrigerator, a SABA Commercial Grade 2-door glass front freezer and shelving totaling $5,200. Along with a food pantry donation of $2,210 earlier this year, AAO has donated a total of $7,410 to Gateway in 2021.

“We know that many of Gateway’s students are non-traditional students who have lots of responsibilities including work, family and more in addition to attending classes and completing school assignments,” said Association Executive Director Rebecca McLean. “A student who is hungry will have difficulty concentrating and focusing on all that they have to do. AAO is honored to help Gateway’s students with the donation to the Food for Thought Food Pantry.”

Gateway President Dr. Fernando Figueroa said the school and AAO have become tremendous community partners and he lauded AAO for understanding the needs of Gateway’s students.

“The need to address food Insecurity is a fact for all postsecondary institutions of higher learning,” Dr. Figueroa said. “This is another great way that Gateway and AAO are coming together to help remove the barriers that many of our students face.”

The latest donation is another example of the continuing partnership between AAO and Gateway.

In July, AAO announced a new scholarship for Gateway Community & Technical College students. The scholarship supports students who are enrolled in Gateway’s Electrical Technology or Air Conditioning Technology Programs.

Following its mission of building stable families and communities throughout the region, AAO has already donated $50,000 to 20 food pantries throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky this year.

The $1,200 food pantry donations are a part of the nearly $250,000 that the AAO raises and distributes annually to help build stable families and communities throughout the region. AAO annually provides thousands of people across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky each year with emergency assistance, rental assistance, food donations, school supplies, scholarships and senior citizen events.

The most recent food pantry donation was funded along with other AAO charity partner projects through a $30,000 grant AAO received from the L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation.

AAO was founded in 1991 by members of the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Apartment Association. It is a nonprofit organization that strives to strengthen and to elevate all communities by providing shelter, food, and other basic needs.


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