The University of Arizona’s Guerrero Center is launching a new project in hopes of helping students who face insecurity when it comes to meeting their basic needs.

The Guerrero Center is one of seven cultural resource centers at the UA. It supports Hispanic students and has done so for generations.

The center is located on the second floor of the Cesar Chavez Building and was named after education champions Adalberto and Ana Guerrero.

Adalberto Guerrero received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the UA in 1957 and joined the faculty in 1963. During his time at the UA, he developed the Heritage Speakers program, was the first assistant dean of students of Mexican-American Affairs, directed the New Start summer program, and formed the Mexican-American Studies Committee. 

He retired in 1994 and in 2014, the UA formally acknowledged his legacy by dedicating and renaming the center in his and his wife’s honor.

The center’s new project, Nuestro Cabinete, which means “our pantry” in Spanish, has been in the works since May and will be ready when students return to campus for the spring semester.

Nuestro Cabinete will provide students with supplies to address basic needs, including menstrual products, toiletries, hair brushes, snacks, and more.

The center is working with alumni and members of the community to help stock the pantry through an Amazon wishlist and account with the UA Foundation to collect donations.

“The idea for this cabinete came from us seeing a lot of students asking for support with basic items such as toothbrushes, tissues, and things like that,” Director Lucero Ramierz told Tucson Spotlight during a recent visit to the center.

The UA currently offers Campus Pantry and Campus Closet services to students and staff, but with one in three college students experiencing food insecurity at some point in their academic career, the demand is ever-growing.

Currently, the center has a small, white box serving as a pantry for students that’s stocked with items like water, canned goods, and granola bars. Nuestro Cabinete aims to expand on this idea.

Thanks to the center’s Amazon wishlist, pantry items have already started rolling in. The hope is that once it’s up and running, Nuestro Cabinete will help more students address these immediate and pressing needs.

The center was decorated for the holidays during Spotlight’s recent visit, with Latin American artwork gracing the walls and the sounds of students’ laughter dancing down the halls.

Giselle Ramirez, the center's graphic designer and student desk assistant, has been coming to the center since she was a freshman.

“It is my home away from home and my giving community here in Tucson,” she said.

Lucero Ramirez and Giselle Ramirez both said their favorite program of the centers is AROMAS, which stands for “Abuelitas Reaching Out To Mentor Apapachar Students.”

The program, which originally started as an elder of the community coming to the center and cooking a homemade meal for students, has evolved over time as more students started showing up. It has expanded to include catering from local Latin restaurants and is easily the center’s most popular event. Every month, the event highlights a different cuisine. It’s free and everyone is welcome. 

“It helps build community and it is also really beautiful to see the type of people it draws in,” Giselle Ramirez said. “Not to mention, the food is always great.”

Another one of the many programs the center offers is AMIGUIS, which serves as an outlet for Hispanic undergraduates to connect with other students who share some of the same commonalities. AMGUIS hosts its own mixer eventst to help students connect. 

On Friday, the center and several partners are hosting their third annual Posada Night from 4:30- 7 p.m. The event,  co-hosted by the Hispanic Alumni Board and JUNTOS, a group that provides outreach medical services to uninsured Latinos, will include food, activities, music and more. 

Lucero Ramirez said Instagram, the center’s website and its weekly newsletter helps keep them connected to students and provide them with information about events and programs, including their recent sponsor-a-college-student initiative.

Over the past few weeks, the center collected donations from community members to fill the wishlists of Latine students facing financial barriers.

The lists included gift cards, snacks, personal items and more, and the center was able to match all 53 students with community sponsors.

But the center is still accepting donations for Nuestro Cabinete, which can be purchased directly from their Amazon wishlist or dropped off at the center.

They're seeking:

• Non-perishable food items, like granola bars, pasta boxes and ramen noodles;
• Gift cards to stores like Walmart, Target and grocery stores;
• School supplies, including scientific calculators, notebooks, pens and planners

Abbie Andrus is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at asandrus@arizona.edu.

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