COMMUNITY

Giving Thanks

SMC provides free Thanksgiving meals to food-insecure students

By Kamala Kirk

As part of its Basic Needs program, led and organized by the Santa Monica College Foundation, Santa Monica College hosted its third annual GIVING THANKS(giving) grocery giveaway on Nov. 22 to provide fresh holiday groceries to 1,100 students experiencing food insecurity. “With more than 50% of students at SMC experiencing basic needs insecurity, including adequate access to food and/or housing, our students are exceptionally challenged to fulfill their academic ambitions in that there is evidence to support that ability to focus in the classroom can be directly linked to personal safety and nutrition,” said Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery, superintendent/ president at SMC. “The GIVING THANKS(giving) event, coordinated by the SMC Foundation, is a cornerstone of our far-reaching food security program that encompasses an on-campus Bodega stocked with free food and living essentials and free meals provided by generous donations to ensure that our students have their basic needs met.” The event, which has already fed more than 3,000 students during the past two years, is a day-long, drive-up outdoor event that takes place rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the main campus. The only eligibility requirement is current enrollment. Each student received their choice of a turkey or vegetarian protein, fresh vegetables including green beans, potatoes, carrots, onions, yams, celery, dinner rolls, a pumpkin pie, butter, salt and pepper, non-alcoholic beverages, recipes, customized online holiday cooking tutorials, and a disposable turkey pan. Students without transportation received a free one-way Lyft ride voucher. For students without the means to prepare a meal or that are unhoused, the Foundation extended the event with a holiday hot meal distribution on the college’s Bodega on Nov. 23. Margaret Sohagi, SMC Foundation board chair, added, “Students at our college and across the country are struggling for their very basics—to eat, to have safe housing and reliable transportation, among so many other fundamental needs. By coming together as a community at events like GIVING THANKS(giving), we continue to prioritize these types of basic needs programs and make a true difference in the lives of our students as they pursue their dreams and academic ambitions."

Honoring Colorado Shooting Victims

Venice Pride hosts candlelight vigil at Venice Pride Lifeguard Tower

By Kamala Kirk

Venice Pride hosted a candlelight vigil for the Venice LGBTQIA+ community on Nov. 21 at the Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower to mourn and honor Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Daniel Aston, Derrick Rump, and Ashley Paugh who were gunned down simply for being who they were earlier this month at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “Venice Pride mourns the tragic and senseless deaths of those individuals who were murdered at Club Q in Colorado Springs earlier this month and the victims who were injured during the shooting,” said Grant Turck, executive director of Venice Pride. “We applaud those patrons who, putting their own lives and safety at risk, subdued the gunman, who was then apprehended by authorities and remains in custody. This horrendous event is sadly reminiscent of the massacre at Pulse Nightclub in June 2016, as well as the many mass shootings that occur too frequently in the United States.” Turck added, “We gathered to show solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community of Colorado and their allies, and to demonstrate that their LGBTQIA+ family in Venice Beach, as well as millions around the world, stand with them in love and support as we honor the memories of those lost and those who are healing from the violence in Colorado Springs. This dreadful attack was on a cherished safe space and sadly follows far too many brutal assaults that we have witnessed over the past several decades. Venice Pride condemns hatred, bigotry, violence and discrimination in all its forms and we stand strong in our determination to protect every member of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Venice Pride venicepride.org

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