PCC’s basic needs center receives $5,000 gift to support single parent students
Photos and story by James Hill
Student volunteers stock the free food market.
At Portland Community College’s Free Food Market on Nov. 24, staff not only distributed groceries and winter gifts to students, they also received a meaningful gift themselves.
During the event at the Sylvania Campus, the PCC Student Basic Needs Center (SBNC) was honored with a $5,000 donation from The MamaBerries Nonprofit Foundation, in partnership with Shades by Shan Cosmetics.
Juan Luna, chief marketing officer of Shades by Shan, presented the check to the SBNC team during the event. The funds will provide seasonal assistance gift cards to single parent students at PCC, helping to ease the financial strain of the holiday season for families balancing college, caregiving and basic expenses.
The event provided needed food for PCC students.
PCC’s own student basic needs survey, conducted with The Hope Center, shows that any donation is critical:
- 64% of respondents experience at least one form of basic needs insecurity such as food or housing challenges.
- 18% have experienced homelessness in the past year.
- Nearly one-quarter of PCC students are parents, many supporting at least one child while in school.
- 76% of surveyed students reported they ran out of money at least once in the past year, the added costs of the holidays can be especially difficult for parenting students.
These local findings mirror national data showing that about three in five college students experience at least one form of basic needs insecurity, including food and housing.
Juan Luna presents the check to Tammy Dowd Shearer.
PCC’s student support infrastructure tackles a myriad of basic needs. For food insecurity, there is the Panther Pantry, which is a free resource intended as a stop-gap to help students in periods of high need while they coordinate access to other food assistance resources. In addition, staff have implemented a free food alert to highlight where students can find food on campus, as well as coordinate and promote SNAP benefits, and run campus learning gardens to grow fresh vegetables.
The MamaBerries Nonprofit Foundation, a 501(c)(3) created by Shades by Shan co-founder Shan Berries, is dedicated to supporting single parents with financial assistance. Inspired by her own upbringing with a single mother, Berries’ mission is to uplift the “heroes” who are raising the next generation while striving to build better futures for their families.
For more details on the Student Basic Needs Center, visit its webpage for information.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »