October’s dreary fall weather felt just a bit warmer thanks to some free grilled cheese sandwiches from the LBCC Foundation team. The team, along with several foundation board members and board of education members, held the college’s first ever “Grilled Cheese Roadshow” on Oct. 4, handing out 802 free grilled cheese sandwiches to students on LB’s Albany campus, Corvallis campus, Advanced Transportation Technology Center, and Healthcare Occupations Center.
The sandwich materials and water were donated by Albany’s Grocery Outlet Bargain Market.
The LBCC Foundation, which puts together the school’s annual scholarship program, put on the event not just to feed students, but also to raise awareness of the financial opportunities available.
“The successful campaign had two goals: First, to support our students with a warm meal,” wrote Manager of Government Relations, Development and Stewardship Linnea Everts in a school announcement. “Seventy percent of our students skip meals because they do not have enough money to eat. Second, to raise awareness of the LBCC Foundation scholarship cycle, which provides much-needed scholarship funds to our students.”
The roadshow succeeded beyond just sandwiches served — Everts noted that the number of scholarship applications in 2024 is up 30% since last year’s. It’s also the most applications ever submitted since the scholarship system opened online in 2017.
The foundation team put together an info-graphic to show the success of 2024’s Grilled Cheese Roadshow. It seems free sandwiches are one of the best ways to reach out to college students.
