“To the cashier at the grocery store, I walked in that day, gas mask and goggles on. At the checkout, we laughed at my getup and you acknowledged how scary everything was. School went remote and my job was gone, but your words made me feel less alone. In the early days of the pandemic, those trips to the supermarket were all I had to remind me that there was still a world outside my apartment. Me, a grocery gift card from PCC in hand, shopping for green beans and onions to keep my body nourished so my mind could study. Relieved I didn’t have to give up my dreams because strangers decided to help. Nearly two years later, here we still are. I saw you the other day. ‘I’m so glad we made it,’ you said to me. I nodded, grateful.”
— Anya
About Anya
Anya DeCarlo recently graduated from PCC. She is currently at Portland State University, majoring in biology with a minor in math, and working her way toward a Ph.D. Last year, Anya received grocery gift cards as part of the PCC Foundation’s emergency response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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