LBCC hosted their weekly Viking Village Market that provided students with free produce, community interaction, and information on services offered to those in need on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.
Free fruits and vegetables were given out to students for the entire duration of the event, with students needing only to provide their student ID numbers for eligibility.
The Viking Village Market is held every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the A quad at LAC and is open for all students and staff who may be interested.
Students and staff alike were also encouraged to paint on a community mural that will be hung on one of the walls in the Viking Vault.
LBCC student Jade McNeill paints on a community canvas that will be displayed in the LBCC Viking Vault during the weekly Viking Village Market on Wednesday, the eve of Thanksgiving. The Viking Village Market is an event held every Wednesday of the week to provide food and services for students and staff in need. The event informs those in attendance of the wide range of services that are available to them, that they may not know of. (Matthew C. Bautista)
The Viking Village Market acts as a resource to all students and staff, serving as a weekly hub for those in need, hosting stalls from numerous different departments, with assistance ranging from the Metro Transit System to Calfresh.
Dorothy Valerie Cardenas, student success coach for Community Advancing Student Achievement (CASA), opts to participate in the market due to how much it increases her ability for outreach.
“We’re able to reach so many more people and show them resources they might not have even realized we have,” Cardenas said.
Some of the resources mentioned by Cardenas involve basic needs, mental health, transfer counseling, and career placement.
CASA director Justin Mendez has helped host these events for over a year now, originally starting the Viking Market with the same ideals they adhere to today.
“A big part of it is destigmatizing the kinds of people that need basic services,” Mendez said.
He hopes that these events serve as a catalyst for those ideals, allowing those in need to actually access the resources available to them without dealing with negative connotations often associated with them.
Pallary Noen, LBCC Student Ambassador for the Foundation for California Community Colleges, discusses with LBCC student James Bates about the services available at the weekly Viking Village Market on Wednesday, the eve of Thanksgiving. The Viking Village Market is an event held every Wednesday of the week to provide food and services for students and staff in need. The event informs those in attendance of the wide range of services that are available to them, that they may not know of. (Matthew C. Bautista)
Pallary Noeun, Student Ambassador for the Foundation for California Community Colleges, held many of the same sentiments as Mendes and Cardenas, providing information ranging from mental health hotlines to affordable auto insurance.
While she typically interacts with students online, Pallary hosts the booth to bridge that gap and create a more human interaction between her and the people she wishes to reach.
“I just want to help people get the help that they need, and being here means that I might be able to make more of an impact,” Pallary said.
You must be logged in to post a comment.