Miami, Dec. 21, 2017 – An anonymous donor spearheaded the creation of a new program that provides free meals to Miami Dade College (MDC) students. The Shark Student Nutrition Program is filling a critical need, with 6,300 meals distributed since Sept. 2017.
The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, was moved to make a $50,000 seed donation to establish the program after learning that some MDC students at times go hungry. MDC serves a diverse population, in which 65 percent of students come from low-income households and 43 percent live below the federal poverty line.
This fall semester, the Shark Student Nutrition Program has distributed breakfast and lunch meal vouchers to students redeemable at the Miami Culinary Institute (MCI) café at MDC’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami.
“The voucher program is really helpful because it helps us save money,” said Kennise Nortreus, an MDC student pursuing an associate degree in nursing. “I work while going to school and I’m on financial aid, so programs like these go a long way financially for us.”
“We want students to stay focused on their studies, rather than worry about their next meal,” added Mark Cole, executive director of the MDC Foundation. “We were humbled to work alongside a generous individual in our community to create the Shark Student Nutrition Program. Together as a community, we are breaking some of those barriers that can keep students from succeeding.”
MDC has additional resources that address food insecurity among its students. MDC’s Single Stop connects students to the Food Pantry, available at all eight campuses. The pantry saw a spike in demand from students who were recently impacted by Hurricane Irma.
To learn more and donate to the Shark Student Nutrition Program, please visit www.mdcfoundation.com or call 305-237-3240.
MDC Foundation contact: Alyssa Zamora at 305-237-3331, azamora@mdc.edu.