Oceanside CA— The MiraCosta College Service Learning and Volunteer Center has received one of its biggest donations to date: $3,000 in gift cards and a box full of food for the college’s food pantry generously donated by Ricardo Duron and his husband Joseph W.
A former MiraCosta College Community Learning Center student and current accounting student, Duron first learned about the Food Pantry after volunteering for the National Make a Difference Day. Once a victim of hunger himself, Duron remembers what it was like to not have any food to eat.
“I remember having no food or support,” said Duron. “I don’t want other students to experience that feeling, that’s why I want to help those who are in need, starting here at MiraCosta College.”
With the assistance of individuals like Duron, the Food Pantry has continued to be a great resource for students who need help.
“People like Ricardo and Joe make a difference in the lives of our students,” said Bea Palmer, coordinator of the Service Learning and Volunteer Center. “Even if it’s one sack lunch at a time, every little bit helps.”
In 2005, MiraCosta College was inspired to establish the food pantry after a student saw another student digging through a trash can looking for food. A year later, the Service Learning Department Food Pantry opened and fed 25 students its first semester. The donation-based program, now in its 10th year, is available on all three MiraCosta College campuses and helps feed almost 200 students per semester, including military veterans. Service Learning predicts that they will have handed out 1,000 sack lunches by the end of 2016.
To learn more about the food pantry, please contact the Service Learning and Volunteer Center at 760.795.6616 or bpalmer@miracosta.edu. Canned-food donations are welcome anytime. For monetary donations, please address checks to the MiraCosta College Foundation: Food Pantry.