The Mighty Lizards did more than make a strong showing on their premier soccer pitch this season: in addition to scoring goals, the teams collected donations for five local charities in lieu of charging admission to the soccer matches. Athletics partnered with the TMCC Do-Gooders, a group of TMCC students, faculty and staff who volunteer their time to give back to the community, to collect donations from those who came to watch the soccer matches. The organizations that received the donations were: Wizard’s Warehouse (TMCC’s food pantry), the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Nevada, the American Cancer Society, the SPCA and Toys for Tots.
“We really wanted to support Wizard’s Warehouse,” said Athletic Director Dr. Tina Ruff. “It’s an on-campus entity that supports our students... and because students were the genesis of sports here, this seemed like a great opportunity to give back.”
According to Cameron Tuttle, TMCC Do-Gooder, Counseling Center Coordinator and leader of Wizard’s Warehouse, “People certainly donated food for the food pantry—in fact, we received a full bin of non-perishable food items at the first game. But, we also received feminine hygiene products, lotion, soap—other items that can also directly help students who are in need on campus.” The community responded in kind, and the TMCC Do-Gooders reported that each organization received sizable donations, especially Wizard’s Warehouse.
Although Athletics collected donations for the other community organizations, fans brought nonperishable food items throughout the soccer season. Tuttle said these donations made a huge impact on the food and supplies available in the food pantry. “In the month of October, the on-campus food pantry helped 118 families and 258 unduplicated individuals in need of food and other vital supplies,” he said.
The food pantry, which has a presence at the Dandini Campus in RDMT 325, the TMCC Meadowood Center (S119) and the Applied Technology Center, brings food and personal item assistance to students, faculty, and staff who are in need. For information on hours and location, please contact the TMCC Student Resources Team.
Helping Those in Need at TMCC
Helping those in need is embedded in the culture of TMCC where several programs, student clubs and classes find creative and meaningful ways to give back to the community; this past semester, athletics joined these myriad campus entities who are working to support those in need.
The TMCC Food Drive is underway and, according to Tuttle, the barrels around campus are filling up quickly. “Last season, there was a competition between the EMS and EMT programs to see who would donate the most food,” said Tuttle. “The programs, located at the William N. Pennington Health Science Center, didn’t have bins, so the students filled an ambulance with non-perishable food items and donated them...in the ambulance.”
The TMCC Do-Gooders will continue their good work this season by volunteering at the Food Bank of Northern Nevada on Friday, Dec. 20 and Friday, Dec. 27 from 1-3:30 p.m. If you are interested in joining them in their mission to give back this holiday season, contact Cameron Tuttle.
So if you are looking for ways to kick off your own season of giving, consider contributing to one of the many food bins around TMCC’s locations.
For more information about TMCC Athletics, contact the department at 775-673-7135.
For more information about resources on campus for those in need of additional supports, please contact the TMCC Student Resources Team.