Poly’s 40 Years of Serving Meals at Prado Day Center
Photo courtesy of Cal Poly Campus Dining
For nearly 40 years, Cal Poly Partners and Campus Dining have partnered with Prado Day Center to provide meals for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in San Luis Obispo County. Through the collaboration, Campus Dining’s culinary team has prepared and served more than 28,000 meals while giving Cal Poly employees opportunities to serve the local community.
Campus Dining prepares and serves meals at Prado Day Center six times each year, with each event typically serving 80 to 140 guests. The partnership began in the late 1980s when Carly Baker helped establish the program with the support of her husband, Warren J. Baker, who was serving as president of Cal Poly.
“Cal Poly has been one of Prado Day Center’s most dependable and valued partners,” said Carrie Baker, a longtime volunteer whose mother helped establish the program. “No matter what challenges come up, they always find a way to help. Their commitment has never wavered, and that consistency has made an incredible difference to our guests and our organization.”
What started as a small volunteer effort has grown into a decades-long collaboration supported by Cal Poly Partners and Campus Dining’s culinary professionals.
“Watching this partnership continue for nearly 40 years has been incredibly rewarding,” Carly Baker said. “The people and leadership may have changed over the years, but the commitment never has. Cal Poly continues to show up, and that’s why this program has endured.”
Cal Poly alumnus Richard Equinoa first became involved with Prado Day Center while working as a Campus Dining student employee. That experience shaped his lifelong commitment to community service. More than two decades later, he continues volunteering at Prado Day Center and remains proud that his commitment to service began with Campus Dining.
“My first job was working in the dining hall at Cal Poly,” Equinoa said. “It’s part of Cal Poly’s nature to give back, and this is a meaningful way to serve the community.”
Addis Bill Tackles City Council Parental Leave
A new bill introduced by Assemblymember Dawn Addis would allow city councilmembers across the state to take parental leave without being penalized.
Existing law provides that if a city council member is absent without permission from all regular city council meetings for a specified number of days from the last regular meeting they attended, their office becomes vacant and shall be filled as any other vacancy.
The Family-Friendly City Councils Act, AB 2134, provides city councilmembers with standard parental leave, making it easier for new parents to serve.
This bill would require a city to establish a process for a city council member to notify the city clerk or other designated official in writing that they are taking parental leave, as defined, for 12 workweeks or longer if the city council member’s city provides a parental leave period longer than 12 workweeks for their employees. The bill would exclude parental leave from counting toward the number of allowed absences allotted to each council member. The bill would prohibit the process from requiring a council member to make the declaration at a public hearing.
“When I served on the Morro Bay City Council, I was a working mom of two school-age children,” Addis said in a news release. “I know how important it is for families to be able to have their voices heard and make decisions for their communities, in local government and beyond.”
Fiscalini Ranch
Seeking Volunteers
I
f you love the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, help protect and share it by becoming a volunteer.
Two key rolls need filling:
• Lead Naturalist Walks: Share your love of nature with adults and children. If you’re a budding naturalist, current docents provide training for both the Docent Walk series and Education program.
• Event Crew: Help host beloved annual events, including Songs for the Season and the Wildflower Show – from organizing to wildflower gathering to baking – they need your help.
Fiscalini is always in need of ranch hands and weeders to maintain and preserve this amazing land. Anyone interested is asked to contact barbara@fiscaliniranch.org.
New Liberal Studies Pathway Via
Cuesta and Poly
C
al Poly and Cuesta College celebrated the launch of the Cal Poly Liberal Studies Bachelor’s Pathway Program and welcomed its inaugural student cohort with a kickoff reception.
The new pathway allows students to work toward a Cal Poly bachelor’s degree in liberal studies by completing Cal Poly coursework at Cuesta College in a cohort-based setting. Courses are scheduled to support students balancing their education with work, family and other responsibilities.
Students enrolled in the pathway are Cal Poly students and have access to their academic advising, library resources, career support and other university services, as well as select resources available through Cuesta College.
The program is designed to expand access to a Cal Poly degree and prepare students for careers in education. For more information, go to https://bit.ly/4zvi61F.
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