The thing about the holidays is that we totally forget what the real reason behind them is. It’s a celebration, yes. Some celebrate through religion, others celebrate through enormous amounts of drinking coquito (heyyy!), and others just don’t do shit. But what sticks out most when you think of the true meaning of the holidays? It’s not the bright lights, the awesome smelling Christmas trees, or the long lines you have to wait to put your child in the lap of someone who really hates his life because he comes home every night smelling like kid poop and vomit. If you didn’t say “giving” then you need to take several seats.

We GIVE during the holidays.

Yeah, sometimes we give to get or we give to ourselves but we far too often forget to give to those who truly need it.

That’s where The Fixxx’s Boss of The Bronx comes in – Bronx Community College. They’ve dedicated an entire pantry that’s available to students, faculty, and the families of those who are affiliated with the college to help with providing food. This comes at the perfect time, when holiday dinners tend to be a little more special than other days, but it’s not just open during the holidays. In fact, it’s open all year round to the over 50% of those students and faculty members who are struggling to stay afloat throughout the year.

Bronx Community College president, Thomas A. Isekenegbe, and the director of BCC’s Single Stop, DeDra Polite, opened The Food Pantry on November 15. BCC is no stranger to lending a helping hand to those in need. With Single Stop being such a huge success, it comes as no surprise that an option be made available to provide free food for eligible students and faculty in partnership with The Food Bank of New York. Polite spearheaded Single Stop as an initiative within the BCC to provide students with the option for tax preparation, financial counseling, legal aid, and other benefits.

What’s dope about The Food Pantry is that it serves as a pilot program that will soon become available to every CUNY school in New York, which gives me just a little more faith in the humanity that is school. I remember when I was in college, my alma mater never gave opportunities for struggling students who didn’t have their parents paying for their college to benefit from. It’s my hope that all private universities also follow BCC’s lead by offering programs that help both independent and continuing education students to have free food options (you can’t live off of Starbucks coffee and biscuits) and start exploring free housing for those who can’t afford it. But…baby steps.

Which leads me to my final point of, if you find yourself in a position this holiday to buy yourself a gift – why not donate to The Food Pantry at BCC and help make someone else’s holiday one they’ll never forget? Donations can be big or small, but no matter what kind of package it comes it – it’s one that will indefinitely be appreciated. So, take the baby step – hit ‘x’ on the Sephora browser tab, and think about what the holiday season is really about: giving to those who really need it.

For further information, please contact the Single Stop Office at 718-289-5327.

To hear the rest of The Fixxx Podcast, click the link below:

https://soundcloud.com/listentothefixxx/the-fixxx-ep-45-make-sex-great-again

*The opinions and ideas expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of The Bronx Brand*

Jenni Ruiza is from the Wakefield section of the Bronx.  She says “The Bronx is my home. I know a lot of people out there who say they would move out of The Bronx as soon as they got money but this place is a big part of who I am today. I always feel like an alien when I go to Brooklyn or Queens. A great part about living in The Bronx is there’s so many facets and secrets like City Island, Arthur Avenue, Riverdale, Pelham Parkway and the house that has a thousand mannequins and lights that block traffic every Christmas. Where else are you going to find that?”

Follow her on Twitter: @listen2thefixxx and Instagram: @listen2thefix.xx