GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College students, alumni and community members came together for a night of food, drinks and awards at the “Building Bridges and Belonging: GCC’s Celebration of Community” fundraising dinner last week.

The celebration featured a slew of speakers, accompanied by a catered dinner and cash bar meant to reunite old friends and supporters from the GCC community.

“What makes GCC truly special is this community,” said Alexis Page, executive director of the GCC Foundation. “The dedicated faculty and staff who give their best every day, the students who are eager to learn, build for their futures, and try new things like our student speakers tonight, and our partners, donors and friends who believe in the power of education to transform lives.”

Sponsoring the event were Greenfield Cooperative Bank, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, NE-XT Technologies and Greenfield Savings Bank. Proceeds from the sale of tickets, priced at $50, go toward supporting GCC’s students and programs. Guests were also encouraged to donate.

The first award of the night, the Community Champion Award, was given to an organization that is working to create a more vibrant community by increasing equitable access to healthy foods: Greenfield’s Stone Soup Café. The organization offers free groceries and personal care items to more than 80 households each week and operates a pay-what-you-can community meal every Saturday.

“The pay-what-you-can model reminds us that we are all interconnected and that one person’s ability to give today might be another person’s opportunity to receive tomorrow,” said Kirsten Levitt, executive director and chef at Stone Soup Café.

The Community Catalyst Award, which goes to a community member who showcases the school’s values through acts of community service and advocacy, went to Clare Higgins, a longtime member of GCC’s board of trustees and retiring executive director of Community Action Pioneer Valley.

“I would not be a college graduate without at least two stops [at GCC] over the decades,” she said.

The next two awards were presented to GCC alumni. The Young Alumni in Action Award, which is given to a young GCC alum who showcases volunteerism and early success in their career, was given to Jillian Morgan, a graduate from the Class of 2008. While at GCC, Morgan majored in theater before earning a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master of Business Administration from Bay Path University. She now works as director of development at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

The Distinguished Alumni Award, presented to an alum who has achieved recognition for contributions to the community, was given to Ken Chartrand from the Class of 2015. Chartrand studied liberal arts and renewable energy while at GCC and now serves as a reentry case manager at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction, where he supports people who are reintegrating into society following incarceration.

“This institution has played a pivotal role in my life, providing not only an education but a sense of purpose, connection and community” Chartrand told the crowd. “GCC is a place where dreams take shape, potential is nurtured and lifelong bonds are formed.”

After the presentation of awards concluded, student speakers Aiya Thomson and Mike Hannigan gave speeches to share their stories of success at GCC and thank community members for their continued support.

The night ended with final remarks from Page.

“Every gift, every act of support, every time you show up matters,” she said.