ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Basic Needs Drives around the CCAA are just getting underway and will continue over the next two months.
 
Cal State San Marcos got it started this week and will hold its Basic Needs Drive from Feb. 2-8. Next will be Stanislaus State on Feb. 16-21, UC Merced on Feb. 19-25, and Cal State East Bay on Feb. 22-28.
 
The Basic Needs program, in its 15th year, was previously called the CCAA Food Drive and rebranded as the CCAA Basic Needs Drive in 2023-24. Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) programs at all 12 universities will collect items for campus and community members who need help. These include toiletry items, eating utensils, clothing, food, and more.
 
Chico State will kick off the next run of Basic Needs Drives during their basketball doubleheader on Feb. 28, the final day of the regular season. Cal State Dominguez Hills has its scheduled during baseball and softball on March 15-22.
 
Activities for the Basic Needs Drive can range from supporting on-campus programs to community outreach to working with the homeless population. UC Merced has selected two groups to support this year, including working with JOYS, a student club started by track & field student-athlete Joyce Nichet, to support and mentor foster kids in our region. UCM will also work with the Human Help Project, started by men's basketball student-athlete Milo Hanes, which delivers food, hygiene products, clothing, and support to unhoused individuals within the state.
 
Cal Poly Pomona will host its Basic Needs Drive on March 1-8 and tie it to the CCAA Basketball Tournament, which will be held on CPP's campus on March 5-7, offering fans discounted tickets for donated items.
 
The Basic Needs project began in 2011 and was designed to raise awareness of the plight of those facing hunger and food insecurity in communities surrounding the conference's member institutions. According to the California Association of Food Banks, one in five Californians struggles with food insecurity despite producing nearly half of the nation's fruits and vegetables. That equates to 8.8 million of our fellow Californians who do not know where their next meal will come from.
 
Along with the annual conference initiative to give back, supporting students' basic needs is a critical pillar of the Cal State System's Graduation Initiative 2025. 
 

2026 CCAA Basic Needs Drive
SCHOOL	DATES
Cal State San Marcos	Feb. 2-8
Stanislaus State	Feb. 16-21
UC Merced	Feb. 19-25
Cal State East Bay	Feb. 22-28
Chico State	Feb. 28
Cal Poly Pomona	March 1-8
Cal State Dominguez Hills	March 15-22