MSJC provides gifts to 59 families during holidays

Lisa Campbell, MSJC's Director of CalWORKS, and student Asyra Serrato stand with Serrato's son Miguel Pimentel, age 7 and daughter Aliyah Pimentel, age 9, during the MSJC holiday gift event.

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For the 2023 holidays, MSJC Foundation and the MSJC Eagles Landing - Center for Student Essentials helped 59 families in need by coordinating support in providing gifts for their children.

Toy drives were held at Temecula Coffee & Cars and Menifee Hometown Holiday Festival, where MSJC Phi Theta Kappa students collected donations from the community. For the third year in a row, the Mexico Cafe in Temecula coordinated a giving tree to support the student families.

MSJC student Shannon Tupuola-Miller said the event was a blessing to her family and that she is grateful her children are associating good memories with higher education.

"It has been a hard year for our family, and we are grateful," Tupuola-Miller said. "I, myself, being home primarily with my children their entire lives, and now trying to remember what it’s like to become a student myself, have faced many challenges this year. The kindness of MSJC has touched my heart deeply. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!”

With the support of the MSJC community, Temecula Coffee & Cars, Menifee Hometown Holiday Festival and the Mexico Cafe, the MSJC Foundation was able to provide gifts to 138 children.