Food, housing, transportation and child care costs can create serious challenges for college students working toward a degree. Chemeketa Community College is helping students meet those basic needs through its new Student Resource Hub.
The college officially opened the hub on September 10. The space, located on the first floor of Building 2 at Chemeketa’s Salem campus, brings several basic-needs resources together in one central location.
Support in One Place
The hub includes Chemeketa’s food pantry, clothing closet, Student Emergency Relief Fund, and a Benefits Navigator who can help students find and apply for assistance. Students can also connect with resources related to housing, transportation, technology, health care, child care and other needs. Free hygiene kits are available through the clothing closet, while the food pantry offers groceries, grocery cards and referrals to additional food assistance in the community.
The hub is open every weekday to current Chemeketa students. The food pantry is available Monday through Thursday.
Meeting a Growing Need
Chemeketa serves approximately 18,000 students, and many are balancing school with the rising costs of food, housing, transportation, and child care. A 2025 survey found that 57% of Chemeketa respondents had experienced at least one form of basic-needs insecurity.
According to Chemeketa, the college’s food pantry recorded about 8,400 visits during the 2025-2026 academic year. Chemeketa also provided approximately $94,000 in emergency assistance to help students cover expenses such as housing, utilities, transportation, tuition, health care and child care.
The services included in the hub aren’t entirely new, but they were previously located in different parts of campus. Bringing them together means students have one place to start and won’t need to visit multiple offices or repeatedly explain their circumstances.
Helping Students Stay on Track
A sudden expense or lack of reliable food, housing, or transportation can make it difficult for a student to stay enrolled. By making assistance easier to find, Chemeketa hopes the hub will help students address immediate challenges and continue working toward their educational goals.
The hub is supported by nonprofits, public agencies and other community partners throughout the Mid-Willamette Valley, including Salem Housing Authority, Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, Family Building Blocks, Northwest Human Services, Mano a Mano, Church at the Park, Cherriots, Salem Free Clinic, and Salem Health.
Donations are being accepted for the hub’s food pantry and clothing closet. Financial contributions can be made through the Chemeketa Foundation.
Official Reporting and Source Links
- Salem-Area Community College Debuts Resource Hub — Salem Reporter
- Chemeketa to Open Student Resource Hub to Connect Students With Essential Support — Chemeketa Community College