When Onondaga Community College's Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) Leadership Team began discussing a meaningful college project, their conversations kept coming back to the same issue. "We talked about how students might not use resources here like the food pantry as much as they could or should because they were afraid to ask for help or be judged," said PTK President Bianca Gascon. "We felt strongly that we could help remove the barriers students face to access food and other services on our campus."
Gascon and fellow student leaders reached out to the campus community and external partners for non-perishable, dry, and canned food donations. They also created a resource guide to inform students about assistance on campus.
On the night of April 15, the PTK Leadership Team made the food donations and resource guides available for students. More than 100 students took advantage of the opportunity, and were able to do so without registering in advance or having to sign in. "What happened truly went beyond my expectations. I felt so much genuine warmth and compassion from everyone who donated, volunteered, or simply stopped in," said Gascon.
Those who donated to the effort included:
- OCC's Community Care Hub
- CNY Blessing Box
- Feeding New York State
- Food Bank of CNY
- Wegmans
- OCC Employees and Students
"This event showed me the best of what our community can be, especially near the end of the semester when so many of us are worried about final exams," said Gascon. "Not knowing when or where we can get a proper meal adds even more stress. It means a lot to have the opportunity to relieve the burden for some of our peers and address a critical need on our campus."
