Tiger Love Pantry Opens with a Housewarming Shower and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA – June 19, 2019
SOWELA Technical Community College will officially launch Tiger Love, a food pantry at the Lake Charles campus, on Tuesday, June 25th, at 11 a.m. in the Student Success Center Magnolia Building. The event includes a housewarming shower with guests encouraged to bring nonperishable food items. An official ribbon cutting ceremony will take place, as well.
Christine Collins, director of student support services, said of Tiger Love, “We are extremely excited about this endeavor, look forward to the community’s support, and anticipate that our students will utilize the services often. These are not just SOWELA students. They are the community’s students. These are individuals that come to college to make a better life for their families in many instances. Numerous students do not drop out because they are not capable of being academically successful. They give up because of environmental factors such as food insecurity. If we can connect one student with food assistance and the resources needed to stay in college, we have made a huge difference in their lives.”
According to U.S. News & World Report, high prices and changing demographics have created a group of college students faced with the prospect of going hungry. In an effort to fight food insecurity locally among college students, SOWELA’s Office of Student Support Services established Tiger Love. It provides food assistance and other resources to enhance the community’s overall wellbeing.
For more information about donating to Tiger Love or to RSVP to the housewarming shower, visit www.sowela.edu/tiger-love.
About SOWELA
SOWELA Technical Community College provides traditional, distance, and lifelong learning experiences and awards associate degrees, technical diplomas, and certificates. The College empowers learners in career and technical education and enables transfer students to pursue a four-year degree so all learners excel as globally competitive citizens. The College has been educating the region’s workforce for 80 years and has locations in Jennings, Lake Charles and Oakdale, LA.