Human Services Club Hits A Home Run with Donations from the Woo Sox

QCC’s Human Services Club is making a positive impact on the communities where members live and work. The club was developed after the pandemic by Associate Professor of Human Services, Anthony Yeulenski, as a way to engage his students on the needs of those in our communities. Students in the club learn about networking and advocacy, while feeling a sense of comradery, Yeulenski said.

Today the club has grown to over 20 students, who meet three to four times a semester working on ways to help students and others in their communities who are experiencing adversity.

In late spring, Yeulenski challenged club members to think outside the box on ways in which they could better serve the community. The group wrote letters to area business soliciting donations for the Green Island Neighborhood Center Food Pantry. The results turned out beyond their expectations when the Woo Sox agreed to donate items to fill the food pantry.

The outpouring of support by the Woo Sox was impactful not only to the Human Services Club students, but also the food pantry, which supports over 500 families according Hilda Maldonado, program director at Green Island Neighborhood Center.

“We know that food insecurity is a reality that we are living today. Unfortunately, hunger is growing every day and it is important to raise awareness to join forces, in order to improve the quality of life of every family in need,” Maldonado said. “Something special about the city of Worcester is its people. In a city rich in culture and continually growing, it is important not to neglect the current problems of poverty that we face and that is why our food pantry is able to provide for every family that comes to us for help.”

“No matter how long it might take to see results, everything we do can change people’s lives to do better,” Maldonado added.

Yeulenski said the goal for the Human Services Club is to “continue to find meaningful projects to support our local community.”