The Kiwanis Club of Glendale, a well-known presence in the area for its service to the needy, took time out on Feb. 25 to recognize another group for its philanthropic work. At a Kiwanis Division luncheon held at Glenoaks Ballroom in Glendale, Kiwanis Club President Toni Beck Espinoza spoke to a group of eight Kiwanis Clubs about the good work that is being done at Glendale Community College to assist veterans and students facing food scarcity. Espinoza briefly described two of the college’s newest projects: the GCC Veterans’ Resource Center and the GCC Food for Thought Pantry.

The Veterans’ Resource Center provides tutoring to veterans who have recently gone from “boots to books” and helps with planning their educational programs so that they can complete their GCC courses within a two-year window. As a result of the tutoring program, the passing rate for veterans in mathematics has gone from 40% to 80% in one year. Statistics show that 60% of the veteran students were not passing English courses due to less-than-average writing skills. The tutoring program also concentrates on improving writing skills, thereby helping the students pass English courses in timely manner. A grant awarded to the Veterans’ Mentoring Program by the Kiwanis Club of Glendale has helped to fund this ongoing project.

The Food for Thought Pantry was established to help those students at GCC who cannot afford to buy nutritional food. College counselors, faculty or staff identify students who are food insecure and in need of critical assistance. After the identified students complete a short application, they become part of the food voucher program and receive $50 cards to be used at cafeterias on both the Verdugo and Garfield campuses. By November 2017, 1,700 students had been served by the Pantry. Funds donated by Glendale Kiwanis assisted in this project to alleviate poverty and hunger among the student population.

President Espinoza presented the Kiwanis Distinguished Service Award to Dr. David Viar, president of Glendale Community College; Lisa Brooks, director of the GCC Foundation; Ellen Oppenberg, outreach coordinator for the Food for Thought Pantry; and Charles Shumate, GCC veterans’ coordinator.

Submitted by Cathy KEEN