Program at Lone Star College helps students with groceries, laptops
HOUSTON - Help is on the way for some Lone Star College students who have fallen on tough times during this health crisis.
As everything from movie theaters to malls are now closed, that means no paycheck for people who work there and a good number of those employees are college students. So how are they getting by?
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"I was in need of groceries last week and they sent out groceries to my house,” smiles Jasmin Martinez.
The freshman Business Management major received groceries from a new program that just started at Lone Star College Houston North.
"There was essential things, water, bread, oatmeal, meats, canned foods,” Martinez explains.
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"They fill out the form, pick everything from a toiletry item to a certain type of food. They send it back to us, we make the order and have it delivered to them,” explains Dr. Quentin Wright President of Lone Star College Houston North.
Dr. Wright says they started giving groceries to certain Houston North students because before closing due to coronavirus COVID-19, hundreds of students depended on the school’s care centers to eat.
“We were having about 400 visits per month. So we knew those types of needs would not go away,” says Dr. Wright.
Lone Star North has also teamed up with Lasagna House to give hot meals to students.
“It’s a true blessing. I was able to get a meal for my family,” Martinez says.
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Now that campuses sit closed and classes are online only that’s also tough for many youngsters. So Lone Star Houston North is providing laptops for students who need them and paying for their home internet service. "Please just don’t give up. We’re going to be right there with you every step of the way,” says Dr. Wright.
Lone Star Houston North is also offering virtual counseling services. These are all things that have never been done, to help students survive an ordeal the world has never quite experienced.
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