March '26 News Blog
News briefs from the HCC campus and beyond
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Return Flight
Two years ago, as a student, Jamal Cumberbatch attended the HCC Community Networking and Internship Fair and walked out with a job. Earlier this month, Cumberbatch, a fall 2025 graduate, came back, this time representing the Eagle Eye Institute, the Holyoke nonprofit that had hired him. He was recently promoted from part time to a full-time job there as development and engagement associate. “I started as a summer program intern, which I’m here promoting,” he said. “In my job I handle a lot of the outreach, partnership coordination and fundraising operations.” The Eagle Eye Institute hosts one day, learn-about-forest programs over the summer, partnering with youth organizations such as Homework House, the Holyoke Boys and Girls Club, as well as the Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, MassWildlife, and the Mass Woodlands Institute. “We bring area youth together with outdoor experts and show them a fun day in the forest and different career opportunities after they graduate,” he said. “We offer learning experiences and a relationship with nature to youth, giving them a feeling of empowerment, well-being and belonging in nature, specifically for youth that have barriers to access in nature." Cumberbatch majored in liberal arts at HCC and studied a lot of sociology and communications courses. “That’s helped me a lot with outreach," he said. “I learned some good messaging skills. It's been a great time.” Cumberbatch will be back again on April 23 for “Green Ventures: Lessons from Environmental Entrepreneurship,” a free lecture and discussion featuring him and retired environmental entrepreneur Bob Saul.
Community Dinner
On Thursday, March 19, when she could have been home relaxing during spring break week, Tiffany Mackey was instead the same place she spends most school days – at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. She was there helping to prepare and serve meals for a new community dinner program started by the HCC Culinary Club. “I’m just really committed to community service, and I like to support the program and also the Culinary Club,” said Mackey, a culinary arts major and member of the club. Thursday was the second community dinner prepared by the club since HCC received a $5,000 grant from the United Way Pioneer Valley earlier this year. The United Way runs a food pantry out of the CAI on Thursday afternoons. The community dinners are meant to coincide with the food pantry's schedule on the third Thursday of each month. “Food banks and pantries are a necessity, but hot meals are a necessity too,” said Tracy Carter, chair of the HCC culinary arts program and culinary club advisor. “There’s an assumption that everybody has a kitchen or access to a kitchen to cook in, but that’s not necessarily true, so we wanted to provide hot meals.” In February, the club prepared enough pasta and salad dinners to feed 64 families of four. For March, with most of the students and staff on holiday, they prepared dinners for about 30 families of four. This month’s menu was kimchi fried rice with teriyaki chicken, Asian slaw,and Rice Krispies treats. “I’ve been homeless for a little bit, and the dinners are really helping,” said Rebecca Martinez. “It looks delicious.” For now, the dinners are being offered only to go, but Carter said the club would ultimately like to offer a sit-down option with table service in the CAI dining room. “The goal right now is trying to build trust with the community,” she said. The next community dinner is scheduled for Thursday, April 16, from 2-4 p.m. PHOTO: Culinary arts student Tiffany Mackey hands a to-go dinner bag to Holyoke resident Rebecca Martinez.
