FA Sponsors CARE
By Mary Gross
November 2022 marked the first Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week at MiraCosta College, organized by our Campus Assessment, Resources, and Education (CARE) Program. This successful week-long campaign brought awareness to our students’ and individual experiences of homelessness, housing, and food insecurity.
During the week-long festivities, a number of amazing events were offered, including the following events
Cook with Us! (an interactive demonstration)
Clothing Distribution Event
Farmer’s Market and Resource Fair
Financial Aid Drop-In Sessions
5 Ways to Save on Groceries Workshop
The Faculty Assembly—along with other collaborative programming partners like Service Learning, Student Life & Leadership, Health Services, Leah’s Pantry, and the Social Justice & Equity Center—assisted with donations of time, resources, and money. The FA was honored to make a donation of $2500 for the purchase of a number of gift cards for students to a variety of food establishments, gas stations, and other local retailers. The FA received many heartfelt messages from students who wrote personal notes:
Receiving the gift cards helped me to understand I still have worth. I’ve been missing that the last handful of years. Thank you to the CARE team and please thank the gift card donors for me. I wish I could hug the gift card people or offer a hand shake at the minimum level. -Sociology Major
The gift card was truly helpful because some days I can’t stand to cook and it was simple to go through a drive thru with my gift card to grab something to eat for the day.
-Liberal Arts Major
Coffee is my medicine every morning. Using my gift card to get my coffee definitely helps me with the start of the day. TY! – Social and Behavioral Science Major
The FA’s contribution was able to provide gift cards to over 50 students! The best part, though, was the many new connections made between students and our campus community and the plethora of resources and services offered.
