Ben McLean

“How can you succeed in the classroom if you’re struggling with putting food on the table?”"

Tacoma Community College recently bid farewell to an exemplary student, impactful staff member and inspiring friend. Ben McLean, the founding staff member of the Max and Margi Harned Titan Food Pantry and TCC graduate with a degree in Business and Logistics, left TCC on Feb. 11 to pursue a position with Valeo Vocation supporting those suffering from homelessness and other obstacles.

McLean first joined TCC in 2017 as a student. “I needed to make a change,” McLean said of his decision to enroll. “And an education was the best option to better myself.”

He said he had to overcome issues to be able to pursue the academic and career goals that lay in front of him, including substance abuse in his youth. Through these obstacles, he learned if you’re open to making a change, you can always find people willing to help.

At TCC, he learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The psychological principle is based on idea that certain universal needs — such as food, water and shelter — must be met before an individual can focus their attention on other things.

This concept resonated with McLean. “How can you succeed in the classroom if you’re struggling with putting food on the table?” he would ask himself.

When two fellow students, Ashley Ngo and Maylonnai Harris, had the idea to begin a food pantry on campus, it was a project that McLean was passionate about. He applied and got the job as the food pantry’s first coordinator.

McLean helped grow a place where students and community members could come not only for food and resources, but for a constant source of compassion and support.

He met with community partners to develop a collaborative effort with Nourish Food Network to form the Mobile Food Unit on campus, furthering the resources available to people in need, and created a culture of mutual respect among food pantry staff and recipients.

McLean said his success with the food pantry, which has served approximately 2,500 students and their families since its inception, and his success in school (he graduated with a 3.88 GPA) can largely be attributed to the overwhelming support he received.

Workforce Education Director Kelli Johnston supervised McLean. “We are so sad to see him leave, but know that he will be taking all of his compassion, kindness, and great advocacy skills into our community,” Johnston said. “He will be a gift to those he serves and a great partner to TCC into the future.”

McLean’s vacant role will be filled by Candice Wheeler, a TCC graduate of the Paralegal program who was active as an OSE volunteer and former vice president of the Black Student Union. Wheeler is a current student at The Evergreen State College – Tacoma.

The Titan Food Pantry and Nourish Mobile Food Bank are currently offering essentials on TCC’s campus every Tuesday and Thursday. For more information, click here.