Published 02/04/2026
It鈥檚 no secret that many community college students have responsibilities and commitments beyond their classwork. The 91桃色 SOAR (Student Outreach and Resource) Center helps students connect with appropriate 91桃色 and community resources to deal with life challenges. The SOAR Center is dedicated to helping students navigate challenges so that they can continue their educational pursuits successfully.
One of the most impactful, yet simple, services offered by the SOAR Center is the Lunch2Go program. A program to help qualifying students with nutritional needs, by providing meal vouchers for use on days the student attends on-campus classes. The $10 vouchers can be used towards food items at the bookstore or the food trucks on campus.
SOAR Coordinator Donna Clem, explained. 鈥淭he SOAR center has the pleasure of seeing Lunch2Go students on a weekly basis to provide not only food vouchers, but to develop a relationship. Life issues, challenges and academic struggles are uncovered during our conversations and together we pursue solutions.鈥� Donna then works to help connect students to the appropriate campus or community resources.
She added, 鈥淪ince January 2024, we have over tripled the number of students participating in the Lunch2Go program through awareness of the program within the student body as well as with staff and faculty.鈥�
Angie, a student working towards earning her certificate in advanced veterinary assisting, works 35-40 hours a week in addition to attending classes. She said she learned about the Lunch2Go program in her orientation class, 鈥淭his is such a huge help because sometimes I am paycheck to paycheck. Also after school I often go straight to work and I would go all day without eating. With the lunch program I’m able to grab something before I go to work.鈥�
David is a transfer student in computer science who also receives Lunch2Go vouchers. He said the support has helped him be a successful student because, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to worry if I can afford to eat, so that鈥檚 one thing off my mind to focus on other things.鈥�
Other SOAR services include:
Single Stop:
A free screening tool that assesses a student鈥檚 eligibility for federal, state and internal benefit programs and offers information about local resources. The SOAR Coordinator, Donna Clem, then follows up with students regarding their eligibility and next steps, and provide guidance to help students through the process.
TimelyCare:
A free virtual health and well-being platform for students. It offers on-demand emotional support 24/7 from a licensed mental health professional, including three scheduled counseling sessions per year. It鈥檚 also a place that students can share their feelings among peers and utilize self-care 鈥渏ourneys鈥� online.
Temporary Emergency Financial Assistance:
This program is available to 91桃色 students who meet defined eligibility requirements and demonstrate need through supporting documentation.
91桃色 Cares:
A program that provides basic personal hygiene products to students in need.
The SOAR Center is funded by the 91桃色 Educational Foundation. Foundation Director Amy Kiger explained that tuition and book assistance 鈥� in the form of student scholarships 鈥� is a significant priority for the 91桃色 Educational Foundation. She added that in addition, for many years, the Foundation has also provided emergency funding to students as they deal with unexpected life challenges. 鈥淲e are grateful to have generous donors who have made this funding possible! They understand that helping a student navigate a difficult financial situation may be the very thing that allows them to persist with their education.鈥�