02/04/2026
It’s no secret that many community college students have responsibilities and commitments beyond their classwork. The BRCC SOAR (Student Outreach and Resource) Center helps students connect with appropriate BRCC and community resources to deal with life challenges. The SOAR Center is dedicated to helping students navigate challenges so that they can continue their educational pursuits successfully.
One of the most impactful, yet simple, services offered by the SOAR Center is the Lunch2Go program. A program to help qualifying students with nutritional needs, by providing meal vouchers for use on days the student attends on-campus classes. The $10 vouchers can be used towards food items at the bookstore or the food trucks on campus.
SOAR Coordinator Donna Clem, explained. “The SOAR center has the pleasure of seeing Lunch2Go students on a weekly basis to provide not only food vouchers, but to develop a relationship. Life issues, challenges and academic struggles are uncovered during our conversations and together we pursue solutions.” Donna then works to help connect students to the appropriate campus or community resources.
She added, “Since January 2024, we have over tripled the number of students participating in the Lunch2Go program through awareness of the program within the student body as well as with staff and faculty.”
Angie, a student working towards earning her certificate in advanced veterinary assisting, works 35-40 hours a week in addition to attending classes. She said she learned about the Lunch2Go program in her orientation class, “This is such a huge help because sometimes I am paycheck to paycheck. Also after school I often go straight to work and I would go all day without eating. With the lunch program I’m able to grab something before I go to work.”
David is a transfer student in computer science who also receives Lunch2Go vouchers. He said the support has helped him be a successful student because, “I don’t have to worry if I can afford to eat, so that’s one thing off my mind to focus on other things.”
Other SOAR services include:
Single Stop:
A free screening tool that assesses a student’s eligibility for federal, state and internal benefit programs and offers information about local resources. The SOAR Coordinator, Donna Clem, then follows up with students regarding their eligibility and next steps, and provide guidance to help students through the process.
TimelyCare:
A free virtual health and well-being platform for students. It offers on-demand emotional support 24/7 from a licensed mental health professional, including three scheduled counseling sessions per year. It’s also a place that students can share their feelings among peers and utilize self-care “journeys” online.
Temporary Emergency Financial Assistance:
This program is available to BRCC students who meet defined eligibility requirements and demonstrate need through supporting documentation.
BRCC Cares:
A program that provides basic personal hygiene products to students in need.
The SOAR Center is funded by the BRCC Educational Foundation. Foundation Director Amy Kiger explained that tuition and book assistance – in the form of student scholarships – is a significant priority for the BRCC Educational Foundation. She added that in addition, for many years, the Foundation has also provided emergency funding to students as they deal with unexpected life challenges. “We are grateful to have generous donors who have made this funding possible! They understand that helping a student navigate a difficult financial situation may be the very thing that allows them to persist with their education.”