Over 200 students gathered in the Ventura College quad to accept free food and drinks at the annual Pirate Picnic on Thursday, May 6.

Organized by the Associated Students of Ventura College, the Pirate Picnic provided students with hot dog lunches at no cost from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. To complete the meal, students were also given chips, sodas and water. According to Rick Trevino, Student Activities specialist, the Pirate Picnic is a special treat that allows students to soak in some fun before the pressures of finals.

“Pirate Picnic is put on by ASVC so that we could do something nice for students during the stressful time right before finals,” said Trevino in an email. “With [students] working hard to study and finish their classes, ASVC thought it would be nice to offer them a break with some free food and music.”

ASVC also handed out free Scantrons and pencils for students to use for their upcoming exams.

Angelina Castillo, a 19-year-old business and finance major, was among the many students who appreciated the gestures given by ASVC.

“It’s nice to save a couple of bucks,” said Castillo, “so I took up their offer and grabbed a couple of Scantrons.”

Johnathan Gomez, a 21-year-old communications major, especially enjoyed the idea of free food.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “It’s not the fanciest meal but getting free food is always a plus. Those guys in AS are great for thinking of the student body and giving us something nice like this.”