A line of shoppers extended around the building as the new Trader Joe’s in Marina opened Wednesday. The store is a short walk from Cal State Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) campus. Basic Needs will receive daily donations of food and fresh items from the store that would otherwise be thrown out. This process is known as food recovery and according to Basic Needs Hub director Robyn DoCanto, this will be a significant boost for the program.
“This is a huge community-based partnership and we’re super excited,” DoCanto said. “This creates much more accessibility for our students and our team. We’re really hoping the Basic Needs Hub won’t be empty at the end of the day.”
During the Fall semester, the Basic Needs Hub has seen a large increase in visitors, causing an unprecedented increase in demand. Since the opening of Trader Joe’s, the hub has already announced on their Instagram story that item limits have been raised, due to the influx of donations.
The new Trader Joe’s location also has a mural of the Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library inside, one of CSUMB’s iconic campus buildings.
In addition, The Wave’s weekend shuttle service will now stop at Trader Joe’s from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Students and employees can ride the Wave for free with their Otter ID.