The Magic Food Bus is a mobile food pantry serving the students and staff at CT State Middlesex. Inspired by a similar pantry at Norwalk Community College (now CT State Norwalk), former Professor Judith Felton and Coordinator of Institutional Advancement Trenton Wright headed the effort to bring a mobile pantry to the Middlesex community. After purchasing a used school bus with grant funds, students from Vinal Technical High School renovated it and brought it to the Middletown campus.

Officially opened on September 21, 2016, the goal of the Magic Food Bus is to alleviate the challenges of food insecurity faced by college students and their families. The food pantry provides non-perishable and perishable items, pet supplies, personal hygiene products, and menstrual products. The Magic Food Bus partners with Connecticut Foodshare. The pantry is operated by student workers, volunteers, human service interns, and with substantial in-kind support from the college. The Magic Food Bus provides food bags to students for Thanksgiving and boxed lunches during each final exam week.

The Magic Food Bus has seen a dramatic increase in annual shoppers since it started. Since opening in 2016, the Magic Food Bus has served about 1,848 students, aided 5,909 household members, and distributed 30,523 units of food through June 2021. We expect to reach 283 students, 919 household members, and distribute 13,954 units of food for 2021-22 during the continuing pandemic.

Food bins are available to drop off donations in the following locations: Snow Hall, room 508; Wheaton Hall, in the office of the Business/Marketing programs; Founders Hall, in room 104; and Chapman Hall, in the library. Items typically provided are cereal, granola bars, water bottles, juice boxes, canned soup and vegetables, pasta, pasta sauce, macaroni and cheese, coffee, gluten-free foods, fruit cups, beans, and assorted toiletries.

In late Spring 2018, the Magic Food Bus established the 7,000-square-foot Veterans Memorial Natural Garden on the main campus to provide healthy produce for food bus shoppers and the local Middletown food pantry. The garden is maintained by student workers and volunteers. Middlesex officially dedicated the former playground on October 16, 2019, honoring the college's veterans.

In the spring of 2019, a satellite pantry opened at Platt High School In Meriden to coordinate with the college's evening course offerings there, The MFB@Platt is open Monday through Thursday evenings and food is transferred weekly from the main campus to this satellite operation.

The agencies, foundations, and municipal Magic Food Bus supporters include the City of Middletown, the City of Meriden, the CUNO Foundation, the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, Cans-4-A-Cause, the Middlesex Community College Foundation, Connecticut Foodshare, Stop 8. Shop, the Fellowship Church, Newman's Own Foundation, the Thomas J. Atkins Memorial Trust Fund, and the Rockfall Foundation. The Magic Food Bus has raised over $100,000 in grants and cash donations since it began.

During the most challenging time in the college's history, the Magic Food Bus pivoted to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The food pantry switched to a contactless operation with pre-bagged groceries and doubled the number of items per month from 30 to 60. We conducted our first drive through a pop-up distribution event in the spring of 2021.

In 2021–2022, The Magic Food Bus Family distributed nearly 13,169 units of food. We served 805 students and family members in need.

Our goal is to meet students where they are, and to ensure that all students have access to support services on campus and from home. Middlesex takes pride in the fact that we are reducing the stigma around asking for help, and that we can provide our students with the food resources they desperately need.

Contact: Dr. Sara Hanson, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Shanson@mxcc.edu or Trenton Wright, MFB Coordinator,  Twright@mxcc.edu or Amy Fontanella, MFB Coordinator, Afontanella@mxcc.edu