College Corps program offers win-win for local nonprofit, students
Manuel Cardenas is a freshman at Concordia University. The 18-year-old did not always have it easy growing up in Palmdale.
“Both my parents came from Mexico as immigrants,” he said. “Coming up, we did struggle. We lived on the floor and all of that. But now I’m blessed that I have a meal, and I’m good. I’m fortunate to be here.”
Cardenas started work this week at the South County Outreach food pantry in Irvine. He is excited to give back — and earn some money for college in the process.
That’s the idea behind College Corps, a new statewide paid service program that Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Volunteers Commission launched this year.
Concordia and Irvine Valley College are two of nearly 50 colleges statewide participating in the program, including those in the UC and Cal State systems, community colleges and private universities. The program has more than 3,200 fellows, California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday said.
They work in one of three facets: distributing meals to those facing food insecurity, tutoring and mentoring low-income students, and taking climate action.
South County Outreach now has 18 workers from the two Irvine schools. They have bolstered the staff at a critical time, with Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner. South County Outreach chief executive LaVal Brewer said that November is the busiest month of the year for his nonprofit; by Thursday, the pantry had already served more than 200 families this past week.
“We’ve got to let as many people get through this front door as possible, so that we can begin to engage with people and get to the point where we can solve their low-income status,” Brewer said.
He added that it really made sense for South County Outreach to team up with College Corps. Brewer previously worked with PlayWorks, which has a partnership with AmeriCorps.
Food is donated by Second Harvest, Orange County Food Bank, local churches and community groups, but South County Outreach will go to grocery stores to purchase food as well. It also offers rental and utility assistance programs, as well as educational programs.
Cardenas spent six hours at the pantry on Wednesday, his first day on the job, to help stock up food and prepare meals. The food items tend to go quickly in the morning, leaving workers in a constant state of keeping a close eye on the inventory.
He said he will work 450 hours there this year as a College Corps fellow. In return, he receives $10,000, which will go toward paying his tuition.
“I really related to the food insecurity,” Cardenas said. “Back where I’m from, a lot of people don’t have a meal when they come back home. I wanted to help here, provide a little bit of my help to provide a meal for someone else. I feel like I’m at a good point where I don’t have to worry about my next meal, so I feel like I should give that same comfort to someone else.”
Yair Rivera, 21, is a freshman at Irvine Valley College. He has been working at South County Outreach for about three weeks through College Corps.
After a difficult childhood that included life as a foster kid and time spent in juvenile hall, he said that education saved his life. Rivera, who said he also faces food insecurities sometimes, is proud to be giving back to the local community.
“This experience has been way beyond what I expected,” he said. “It’s definitely a job where I come and look forward to being here each day. I know I’m not here full time, only two times a week, but it makes me very emotional. It makes me happy to see when people come by with their food in carts and knowing that I’m providing them with my help.”
Fryday said there are many benefits to the College Corps program, which leads to what he calls a win-win situation.
“What they’re doing here is they’re building professional skills, they’re building professional network — social capital that’s so critical,” he said. “A lot of times, low-income students have to end up taking jobs at a fast food restaurant or a coffee shop. But with College Corps, they get to do work where they can pursue their passion, they can learn skills, and they can make a difference and get help paying for school at the same time.”
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