It’s a warm Central California night and Dave Colnic is sitting outside the dining hall at the We Care homeless shelter, relaxing after having helped prepare a dinner of chicken Alfredo, green beans, bread, watermelon, and cookies for dessert.
Colnic is the department chair of Stanislaus State’s political science and public administration department, and the chapter president of the California Faculty Association.
He’s asked if it feels good to know that his team has provided a nutritious and delicious meal for 50 of the city’s homeless men. But before he can answer, a thunderous round of applause erupts from inside the dining hall, as the guests thank the evening’s food servers — members of the CFA executive council.
“Hear that?” says Colnic. “How can you hear that and not feel good?”
Colnic and his team prepare a meal once a month at the shelter — paying for the endeavor out of their own pockets. The CFA also donates funds once a month so another community group or local family can do the same.
“We’re trying to get others involved and provide incentives,” said Colnic. “But a lot of us have evening classes, so it’s hard to schedule around the other things we have going.”
It’s just one of the community-centered projects of the CFA, which is also a driving force behind Stanislaus State’s Warriors Food Pantry and the Warriors Clothes Closet, which help provide basic services to students who are struggling to make ends meet.
“We want to link what we do here tonight to what we do on campus,” said Colnic. “The food pantry, the closet, the emergency grants, and the food baskets. It’s really our goal to lift up everyone.”
Members of the CFA have been present at Turlock City Council meetings for the past several months, taking in the proceedings and often rising to speak in support of the homeless shelter, which was closed for the month of July as it tried to cobble together funds to keep the lights on.
Colnic hopes that by sponsoring others to prepare a meal, that it will engender the same positive feelings about the shelter in others.
“How hard is it to get your mates together, make a Costco run, bring the food here, and then cook it?” said Ann Strahm, Ph.D., a professor of sociology at CSUS. “And, we had enough left over for next week, so they’ll put it in the freezer ... another meal made.”
Also serving dinner on Wednesday were CSUS instructors Jey Strangfeld, Barbara Olave, and Olave’s husband, non-CFA member Phil Miholancan.
“It’s nice to be able to help the community,” said Colnic. “I’m hopeful that others will join and we can get something a little more permanent and a little more sustainable.”
Coming Saturday: A closer look at Stanislaus State’s food pantry and clothes closet programs.
