One day this semester, a Rockland Community College student was completing his Service Learning hours at the RCC Haverstraw campus, which houses the new Volunteer Generation Fund food cupboard. Jose was activity in volunteerism around campus. Part of his responsibility was to manage the recently opened food cupboard, which is open to all students and visitors to the Rockland County Career Center, which is also housed in the same building.
One evening, during an especially cold and windy November night, an older gentleman came in looking for food. The student engaged the senior community member in conversation and noticed that he was not wearing a coat or hat. Jose began to think that if the man was there to collect food then there was a high probability that he also needed clothes.
This new food cupboard also has a clothing rack for clothing insecure visitors. The student invited the older man to take a look at what was there. As he looked, Jose noticed that there were no coats available and became emotional at the thought that this man was going to go back out in the cold with nothing to protect himself.
At this point, Jose offered his own coat and hat to the gentleman. The surprised senior was so appreciative of the student’s personal generosity and kindness, that he burst into tears. Jose gently told him that he had another one and that he was more than happy to be able to make a difference.
During a time when there are so many people in communities throughout New York with food and clothing insecurities, this selfless act really depicts the deep humanity residing in our students at Rockland Community College and the entire SUNY system’s 64 colleges and universities. These kinds of stories show us that when we expand our horizons beyond the textbook, a college experience teaches us so much more than just what happens inside a classroom.
30 Days of Giving 2018
- Day 1: Buffalo State’s Students Serve as Civic Leaders
- Day 2: Farmingdale State College Students Give Veterans a Smile
- Day 3: Tompkins Cortland Community College Brings the Farm to the Table
- Day 4: SUNY Maritime Donates Backpacks to Homes For the Brave
- Day 5: Paws and Effect at Binghamton University
- Day 6: New Paltz Students Go From Interns To Emerging Leaders
- Day 7: Niagara County Community College Students Feed Animals in Need
- Day 8: Mohawk Valley Community College Baseball Team Helps Area Veterans
- Day 9: SUNY Delhi Students Build Homes for the Homeless
- Day 10: SUNY Old Westbury Commemorates Veterans
- Day 11: UAlbany Students Work to Improve Lives of Those With Disabilities
- Day 12: Alfred State Students Preserve History in California
- Day 13: Herkimer County Community College Cares For the Community
- Day 14: SUNY Broome Students Stepping Up to End Campus Hunger
- Day 15: Monroe Community College Develops Humanitarian Mapping
- Day 16: SUNY Oswego Hockey Teams Support Local Charities
- Day 17: Stony Brook University Students Practice Prevention and Outreach
- Day 18: SUNY ESF Students Give Up Their Saturdays for Service
- Day 19: Clinton Community College Helps Students Overcome Barriers to Success
- Day 20: SUNY Plattsburgh Grants Holiday Wishes to Area Children and Families
- Day 21: SUNY Cobleskill Gives Back to the Iroquois Indian Museum
- Day 22: SUNY Sullivan Helps Local Federation for the Homeless
- Day 23: Operation Shoebox at Schenectady County Community College
- Day 24: University at Buffalo Grassroots Gardens
- Day 25: SUNY Oneonta Runs to Fight Hunger
- Day 26: SUNY Orange Helps the Needy Stay Warm in Winter
- Day 27: HVCC Students Pack Good Night Bags for Families in Crisis
- Day 28: SUNY Fredonia Adopts Families in Need
- Day 29: Onondaga Community College Students Give Back With Service Abroad
- Day 30: Jefferson Community College Faculty & Staff Take Pie in the Face for Charity
