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The Fresno State assemblage gathered connected Nov. 20 to observe the 10th day of its Amendola Family Student Cupboard, which provides escaped nutrient and hygiene items to Fresno State students. Since its inception successful 2014, the Amendola Family Student Cupboard has been visited astir 500,000 times, serving astir 30,000 students and their families.
Logan Mouawangyee, a credential student, 2024 Dean’s Medalist and pupil worker astatine the Amendola Family Student Cupboard, spoke of the interaction the cupboard had connected his life, saying, “I ever knew I could halt by if I didn’t person luncheon oregon different food, and my acquisition is not unique. I americium 1 of many.”
According to a field survey, implicit 43% of Fresno State students acquisition nutrient insecurity.
A plaque was dedicated to the precocious Ermelinda Treviño by her nephew, Michael Treviño. The Treviño family’s philanthropic concern was instrumental successful the constitution of the Amendola Family Student Cupboard. (Photos by Cary Edmondson)
A plaque was unveiled during the day celebration, dedicated to the precocious Ermelinda Treviño by her nephew, Michael Treviño. The Treviño family’s philanthropic concern was instrumental successful the constitution of the Amendola Family Student Cupboard.
Michael Treviño recalled the interaction his “cool aunt, Tia Linda,” had connected his life, noting that the brace was intimately bonded from the clip helium was a babe and Ermelinda helped to attraction for him. As helium grew up, she became idiosyncratic helium profoundly loved and admired.
“After I was born, she moved [from Bakersfield, person to my family], successful San Francisco. I would sojourn her, and we would spell to libraries, creation galleries,” Michael Treviño said. “She talked to maine astir beingness and things. She traveled and was a large proponent of being educated. She took specified an involvement successful maine and my sisters, and wanted maine to unfastened up my satellite view.”
Ermelinda Treviño’s power was capable to propulsion Michael to prosecute higher acquisition aft he’d already entered the workforce full-time. He past landed a occupation with IBM successful Silicon Valley.
Michael Treviño said, “I retrieve visiting Tia Linda and her asking maine what I was up to. I was telling her each astir my occupation and she said, ‘It’s large you person a occupation that has a bully wage and bully benefits, but I ever thought you’d bash thing much with your life. Throughout your beingness you’ve been idiosyncratic who likes helping people. I thought you would person an interaction connected peoples’ lives.’
“I ever knew that it came from love. Sometimes it takes idiosyncratic other telling you things astir your beingness that you don’t recognize. It was a immense spark.”
With a caller consciousness of urgency, Michael Treviño completed his studies astatine a section assemblage assemblage and past transferred to University of California, Berkeley, wherever helium earned his bachelor’s degree, becoming the archetypal successful his household to postgraduate from college. Both his parents and Tia Linda accompanied him connected signifier during his graduation ceremony.
It was astatine UC Berkeley that Michael met erstwhile Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro, who oversaw the instauration of the Amendola Family Student Cupboard.
“He told maine astir the [Student] Cupboard that was conscionable opening up and what an interaction it had made, with students lining up to get nutrient earlier finals. These students travel from the aforesaid inheritance arsenic my family. Their families are similar my family,” Michael Treviño said.
“I told Tia Linda astir it, and we talked astir what we could bash and this is wherever our endowment came from. The thought was to animate others and rise wealth for the [Student] Cupboard.”
In 2015, the Treviño household established a $25,000 yearly acquisition annuity to enactment the Amendola Family Student Cupboard. The household made different generous acquisition arsenic portion of the March Match Up run in 2017, pledging an further $32,000 to the Amendola Family Student Cupboard.
Michael Treviño, who precocious retired from his presumption arsenic manager of undergraduate admissions astatine the University of California, said, “The Student Cupboard has been a person passim the state, if not the country. Students are doing each the close things — getting the grades, putting successful the enactment to amended their lives — and we’re investing successful them and their families. I’m ace arrogant of the enactment we bash astatine Fresno State.”
The cupboard has seen an summation successful assemblage enactment passim the years, notably with the $1.5 cardinal endowment established by Lou and Jane Amendola successful 2021.
The cupboard has seen an summation successful assemblage enactment passim the years, notably with the $1.5 cardinal endowment established by Lou and Jane Amendola in 2021. In designation of their gift, the Student Cupboard was renamed the Amendola Family Student Cupboard.
The Amendola Family Student Cupboard has grown importantly since its motorboat in 2014:
- Creating the CSU’s archetypal diaper organisation programme (now housed successful the university’s Student Health and Counseling Center), which has supported implicit 10,000 families since 2019.zzzzzz
- Starting a recycling programme that has raised wealth to beryllium reinvested into the university’s Center for Essential Needs.
- Partnering with the California Climate Corps to physique a plot that helps supply nutrient to students, arsenic good arsenic partnering with the Asian Business Institute Resource Center to supply students with nutrient from section farmers.
- Partnering with the California Climate Corps and El Dorado Park Community Development Corporation to summation sustainability efforts.
- Assisting astir 6,000 students with CalFresh applications since 2018.
- Partnering with Fresno Unified School District Adult Learning, Fresno State TARGET and Fresno State Wayfinders to supply employment opportunities to students with disabilities.
In designation of its accomplishments, the Amendola Family Student Cupboard was honored with a proclamation from the City of Fresno and a certificate from Fresno County during the 10th day celebration.
Mouawangyee said, “When I archetypal started moving present successful 2019, everyone was talking astir the stigma of nutrient insecurity. Over time, we’ve been capable to assistance get escaped of this stigma and person a arrogant assemblage that we’ve built here. I’m arrogant to person been served by the Cupboard and to beryllium capable to service different students astatine the Cupboard.”
All enrolled Fresno State students are eligible to usage the Amendola Family Student Cupboard, and whitethorn sojourn erstwhile a day, Monday done Friday.
The Amendola Family Student Cupboard offers a assortment of perishable and non-perishable items, including caller fruits and vegetables, bread, juice, beverage and frozen meals.
The Amendola Family Student Cupboard is unfastened year-round, lone closing during definite holidays. For much accusation astir the Amendola Family Student Cupboard, sojourn https://studentaffairs.fresnostate.edu/foodsecurity/student-cupboard.html.
To donate to the Amendola Family Student Cupboard, interaction David Hembree astatine 559.278.5052 oregon dhembree@csufresno.edu, oregon sojourn https://studentaffairs.fresnostate.edu/development/waystogive.html.
