Anthony Stevens, 62, has a passion for helping others. He has taught psychology classes at DMACC since 2005 and, as a qualitative psychologist, offers counseling. Originally a community college student himself, he chose to teach at DMACC rather than at Iowa State University. Stevens says, “I chose this place because I thought I could do the most good here.”
One of his most recent projects to support others is to help operate the Community Fridge at DMACC Urban’s campus. This fridge is located in building 1 next to the library. Pantry exclusive locations can be found on the second floor of this building as well as the first of building 4. Ready-made meals, essential ingredients, and pantry staples are restocked regularly, available to anyone in need. He attributes the inspiration for this project to a particular experience at one of his first jobs in Riverside, California, his hometown.
Working the morning shift at a grocery store, Stevens was tasked with clearing the shelves of expiring food. He threw the merchandise away in the dumpsters out back and watched as a crowd of people sought to salvage anything intact. One day he saw an elderly woman and he place the food within reach of her arms. This was not taken kindly by management and he lost his position. A few weeks later, he ran into the woman. Stevens says, “She was one of my dad’s patients. And she goes, ‘Oh, bless you, boy. Bless you, son. Bless you.’ So, it had this lasting impact on me; that people were living like that, where we’re throwing food away and these people jump in the dumpster to get it.”
The Feed the World project was similarly inspired by a lived experience. After recovering from surgery, his neighbor began to feed his family as he had done for them as the baseball coach for her sons. In fact, she continues to this day.
In counseling at DMACC, he learned that one of his students was food insecure.
“So, when I hear that, I want to bring her food, but I’m thinking, okay, if I just bring her food every day, every class, it looks odd. So, I start cooking for everybody,” Stephens says. “I got my past. I got my neighbor, bringing me extra food and ding. The light goes off. Why don’t I just? Prepare food for them all.”
Each day after school, he invites his students and anyone they know who’s hungry to have a meal together. Stevens has inspired others to take action, either by supporting him or beginning projects of their own.
Katie Mitchell, sociology professor and Stevens’s officemate, says “It contributes to a more welcoming and caring campus atmosphere.”
Mercy Hospital has become one of the most significant contributors, offering leftovers on a weekly basis. Also, the Iowa Health Educators Association have recently begun to contribute funds. Anything helps.
Stevens’ says, “If everybody can just find a way to help anybody in any way? You know, you don’t have to do what we’re doing. You don’t have to do it the way we’re doing it. Whatever you can do, you know what I mean?”
