Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Giving thanks by simply giving

Photos and story by James Hill

Maleah Johnson could be one of the 60 families that benefit from Cascade Campus student government’s Thanksgiving Basket and Adopt-a-Family programs.

That’s why she is giving.

Each year the ASPCC gives Thanksgiving Baskets to more than 40 student families and later helps an additional 20 with the Adopt-A-Family project where the children will receive gifts. The goal is to make the holiday a happy, stress-free time for those students who might find it a financial burden. Johnson is organizing this year’s campaign.

“The Thanksgiving Basket Program is an annual tradition that some students look forward to each year,” Johnson said. “Since continuing an education while having a family is such a big task, many students may have to choose between purchasing holiday goods for their family, or buying books and paying the rising costs of tuition.”

“A lot of students are broke,” she added. “They have children, tuition costs and can’t afford presents or a big meal during the holidays. This is a way that they can get that Thanksgiving meal.”

Johnson, 23, could be one of those students and understands how important the basket program is.

“I’ve been there,” she said. “You miss so many things growing up in a poor family. It is really difficult to afford these things. My family had to rely on a state agency for a lot of what we had.”

But she has survived. She is the first in her family to go to college after being thrown out of the house by her mother’s boyfriend at the age of 18. Forced to find employment to pay the rent, she worked for five years before enrolling at PCC last year.

Now, she is close to earning her Oregon Transfer Degree, majoring in biology, and will apply to study at Oregon State University’s pharmaceutical program. However, her days are full. She studies four hours a day, rides the bus from Clackamas another three and a half hours. When she isn’t in class she is volunteering her time with student government, and serving as game manager for the PCC basketball teams. She is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the two-year honor’s society.

“It’s a hectic lifestyle,” Johnson said. “I don’t sleep. The decision to go to PCC was that it was just a better college and had more of everything. It is very diverse with a lot of individuals with many different purposes.”

Many at PCC share Johnson’s giving nature. Around the district PCC students and staff conduct various can, food and clothing drives to help the needy in the community. To see how you can help, contact the following offices (Sylvania ASPCC at 503-977-4361, Rock Creek ASPCC at 503-614-7442). In addition, staff and faculty host clothing and food drives during their respective holiday parties at all three comprehensive campuses and the Southeast Center in December.

The college also conducts an annual giving campaign where staff and faculty can give to a charity of their choice sanctioned by the college. One of the key criteria for each is that a high percentage of funds raised goes directly to providing services. They can choose from such agencies as American Red Cross, Black United Fund of Oregon, Children’s Trust Fund of Oregon, Oregon Food Bank, United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, PCC Foundation or the YWCA of Greater Portland.

And then there is Cascade’s annual Thanksgiving Baskets Program. This year, instead of asking individual departments to provide a large quantity of an item, student government is asking for cash. Donations of cash are much more cost effective than purchasing 30 boxes of butter, says Johnson. For a donation of $20, a family will be provided with an entire holiday meal.

“It’s wonderful,” Johnson said. “It’s so exciting to see the families’ faces. It’s really exciting to be part of it. ASPCC is for the students and we’re here to represent them.”

To help donate to the Thanksgiving Baskets Project (deadline is Nov. 17), contact the Cascade student government office at 503-978-5379.

Related Pages:

ASPCC (Student Government), Phi Theta Kappa, PCC Foundation