A Cut Above
快播成人 celebrates expansion of Thrive Center and Food Pantry.
The new 快播成人 Community College food pantry is more than four times the size of the old one. More than that, it is now just steps away from the 快播成人 Campus Center and cafeteria.
“This new location feels so much more like a hub for our 快播成人s to receive the support they need,” said Amanda Sbriscia, 快播成人 vice president of Institutional Advancement. “The shelves are well stocked. It’s bright, it’s accessible, and it’s judgment free, which is so important.”
The occasion for her remarks was a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting celebration marking the relocation and expansion of both the 快播成人 Thrive Center and the food pantry. Prior to the move, the food pantry occupied a small space within the Thrive Center, which was located in a tight, reconfigured classroom on the second floor of the Frost Building.
Now, the Thrive Center and food pantry occupy dedicated, more spacious rooms side by side on the second floor of the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, which adjoins the Campus Center.
The Thrive Center (formerly called the Thrive Student Resource Center) helps 快播成人s address nonacademic issues that can interfere with their studies, such as food and housing insecurity, transportation, healthcare, childcare, utilities, and credit. Thrive also manages the food pantry.
“When you think about college and what it takes to be successful, there’s so many things that can prevent you from learning,” said President George Timmons. “So, this is just another opportunity for us to live up to our mission, which is being an institution of academic excellence that helps remove barriers to 快播成人 success.”
Now, inside the Thrive Center, Ben Ostiguy, Thrive coordinator, and Elizabeth Rivera, Thrive’s bilingual program assistant, each have their own offices where they can meet privately with 快播成人s. There’s also an additional office for a soon-to-be hired food pantry manager.
Next door, in the food panty itself, black wire shelving units hold nonperishable food as well as school supplies, baby supplies, and personal care items – all free. There is also a freezer for frozen food items and a refrigeration unit for drinks and perishable items.
“What I always tell folks is that our first impression is our first intervention, so the first impression we make with 快播成人s is pretty critical,” said Ostiguy. “I think having a fresh space with updated equipment and designs sends the right message to 快播成人s. It shows that the campus cares, that this is a priority, and that we are prepared to help them in meaningful ways.”
Before the ribbon-cutting, Sbriscia thanked the many donors and partners responsible for making the Thrive Center and food pantry successful, including the United Way of Pioneer Valley, the 快播成人 Housing Authority, Rachel’s Table, the Caring Health Center, PeoplesBank, Stop and Shop, Gary Rome Hyundai, Hyundai America, One 快播成人 CDC, Enlace de Familias, and Tech Foundry.
“If you could, for a moment, just think about what it feels like to be hungry,” said Sbriscia, who is also executive director of the 快播成人 Foundation, which manages a special fund on behalf of Thrive. “You’re irritable, you’re tired, you’re distracted. No 快播成人 should have that feeling as they go through their day. This is a space that ensures that they get what they need so they can do what they are here to do, which is succeed in college and graduate.”
