CARES Day: ‘The best thing happening’ at Hinds

Dozens of Hinds Community College employees volunteered at 12 nonprofits on Hinds CARES Day, lovingly providing vital organizations across the region with help for projects that might otherwise go undone. 

From Utica and Vicksburg to Jackson, Brandon and Pelahatchie, 265 Hinds volunteers dressed in maroon T-shirts washed and organized linens, cleaned kitchens, planted flowers, packed after school snacks for kids and hung festive Easter decorations.

At Mississippi Food Network in Jackson, Hinds Assistant Track and Field Coach Trajan Johnson and other volunteers created an assembly line to put together 1,000 “backpack kits” for students who might not otherwise have access to healthy food. The food bank feeds more than 150,000 Mississippians every month in efforts to fight hunger.

“I love helping the youth, seeing them grow into great adults. They are the future, and we need to feed the future,” said Johnson as he and other volunteers filled gallon-size plastic storage bags with juice boxes, peaches, cereal and other after-school snacks.

Twice each year, Hinds staff give a few hours of their time to volunteer efforts, in the fall at other Hinds campuses and in the spring to organizations that support area Mississippians with a variety of needs – showers for the homeless, lodging for cancer patients and their families, faith-based transitional services for formerly incarcerated women, and much more. 

President Dr. Stephen Vacik said Hinds CARES Day is about giving back to the communities that support the college. 

“They support us through their attendance at events, by sending their children to us. We want to make sure we are giving back,” said Dr. Vacik, who visited multiple volunteer locations. “I am overwhelmed when I see the number of folks that want to step up and serve others because that’s what we’re really supposed to be about as a community college.”

Dr. Tiffany Gaskin, Dean of Career & Technical Education – Public Services, scrubbed the stovetop in a kitchen at the America Cancer Society’s Gertrude C. Ford Hope Lodge. She said her mother is a 25-year cancer survivor. The volunteer day gives her the opportunity to help create a comfortable environment for the cancer patients and families staying at the facility. 

“I do it like I am doing it for a loved one,” Dr. Gaskin said. 

Hope Lodge is a home away from home for patients with 32 guest rooms on two floors, said Bonnie Holliday, who was helping organize volunteers for Hope Lodge. The nonprofit is constantly focused on creating an environment of hope and healing and volunteers often add excitement with projects like holiday decorating. 

Without the volunteers this would not get done,” Holliday said. “They help us to focus on patient needs.”

Team Leader Kathy Jones (Raymond) and other volunteers made goodie bags for 100 workers at Clinton Healthcare. She and her sister Nancy Smith (Rankin) were caregivers for their recently deceased mother, who was disabled and had dementia. Clinton Healthcare workers take care of patients and their families every day, Jones said, and it was meaningful to give back to them. 

“This was just a small token of appreciation for all they do for our community,” Jones said.

At Jackson Resource Center, Team Leader Ashley Gilyard (Rankin) called the volunteer day a wonderful experience. In addition to cleaning up and preparing areas of the center for the residents, her team had a great time working together and getting to know staff from other campuses. The nonprofit provides, coordinates, and delivers care to people experiencing homelessness in Jackson.

“CARES Day is the best thing happening at Hinds Community College,” Gilyard said.