Leaders in the Office of Student Life at SJC Brooklyn worked around the clock in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to make sure students living in off-campus housing were safe and well-cared for.
In mid-March, when the College switched to remote learning to help lessen the spread of the virus, Ryan McCormick, assistant to the coordinator of residence life, and Campus Ministry Director Sister Marie Mackey, C.S.J., spent much of their days at the St. George residence hall in Brooklyn Heights, checking on students and coordinating efforts to provide food staples to students in need.
“At that time, we were uncertain as to how everything would unfold in the next few days,” S. Marie said. “We were aware that many students rely on food during our daily common hours and that students (at the residence) did not have a food service available to them. I purchased cereal, soups, juices and other non-perishable items. I was even able to snag a package of paper towels!”
Later, S. Marie worked with Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens to offer food assistance to off-campus housing students. The Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood made financial donations to purchase food for students and their families.
“I live in Manhattan, but I haven’t gone home because I don’t want to put my grandparents at risk,” Anell Ramos, a sophomore and a St. George resident, said in March. “I live in Manhattan, but I haven’t gone home because I don’t want to put my grandparents at risk,” Anell Ramos, a sophomore and a St. George resident, said in March. “SJC informed us about a nearby food pantry and earlier in the week, there were shuttles available to take students … to buy necessities.”
