Sheila Dion ’93 returned to her alma mater, Holyoke Community College, to tour the newly expanded Thrive Center—home of the campus’s food pantry and vital resources for students facing real-life hardships. 
Why this visit mattered:
• The Thrive Center offers students more than groceries—it extends dignity, support, and a judgment-free space to seek help with food insecurity, housing, healthcare, legal aid, financial coaching, and more.
• In September 2024, HCC celebrated a ribbon-cutting for a relocation and expansion that made the pantry four times larger, bright, welcoming, and right next to the Campus Center. Now, students can access nutritious food, school supplies, baby and personal care items, and perishable foods like meals and snacks in an inviting, stigma-free environment.
Thrives impact is illustrated through student stories:
“It’s hard to focus when you’re hungry,” said one student whose grades improved once they gained access to the pantry.
Another shared, “They helped me breathe again,” after Thrive intervened to prevent eviction.
Students regularly depend on the pantry and Grab and Go cart for everyday sustenance—donuts and coffee often play unspoken roles in breaking barriers to access. Sheila was driven by her life mission to eradicate child hunger, walking through the same halls she once did as a student—now with her son Johnathan and fiancé Dean by her side, meeting Ben and Elizabeth, the dedicated faces behind Thrives daily backbone., Sheila’s service is not confined by geography. Her heart stretches beyond CNY, to wherever she goes, sowing seeds of nourishment and compassion. Seeing her reach out to the next generation of students returning to HCC, where her own story began—it was a full-circle moment. A testament to how one person’s dedication ripples outward to lift entire communities.