The community has come together to provide basic necessities for its senior residents.
Itai Cardona ’13 recently started a pop-up pantry in his community for people to take what they need or leave what they can share. With national stay-at-home orders changing the course of daily interactions, he felt the need to help. Cardona is the manager of a mobile home community for senior citizens in Southern California and created the pantry to help provide basic necessities to his residents.
“I had a small starter kit of water, books, movies, coffee, canned goods, paper goods, etc.,” Cardona says. “If they need one item — like toilet paper — they can stop by and get it, rather than risking health to go to the store for one item, which may not even be available.”
Itai Cardona graduated from Columbia College-Springfield in 2013.
After the first day, donations filled three tables and more than 50 visitors have benefited from the pantry in a short time. Cardona brings in the items each night and sets up the tables each morning. The local food bank has donated two boxes of food and the county supervisor also stopped by for a visit. Cordona plans to keep the store open daily through the pandemic or until items run out.
Cardona also owns an ASL interpreting agency, utilizing the Bachelor of Science degree he completed at Columbia College-Springfield in 2013. His efforts are a reminder that everyone has the ability to make a difference. “Anyone can do this,” he says. “It’s work, but it’s so rewarding.”
Thank you for this kind article.
Christopher Cardona is a very compassionate young man.
Always helping the senior in his mobile home community.
He is an excellent ASL teacher also. Makes classes interesting & easier to learn.
I am a resident of this mobile home park and this is only one of the things Chris is doing to make life easier for the residents. Not only is he smart and hard-working, Chris is one of the kindest people I know.
Amazing article for an amazing man. Thank you for acknowledging a great person.
Christopher Itai Cardona has several awards in his office. He is one of the Top OUTstanding Voices for advocacy in Palm Springs, CA. He has an award for Distinguished Service from the California State Assembly. Honestly, he has too many for me to list here, but he is a very sweet and amazing man. I know because I am his Assistant.
I have never known anyone to do more for the community. He does not do these things for recognition, but we cannot help but recognize all he does.
He tutors homeless youth. He volunteers to teach American Sign Language classes. He is simply amazing and this article about him is just so sweet. We really appreciate seeing good news during these times when all we seem to see is bad.
Love it! Amazing 🙂