Serving snacks and support
by Nathaniel Miller
The iconic images of St. Mary’s University are easy to point out.
The Barrett Memorial Bell Tower stands tall at the heart of the campus. St. Louis Hall is easily the most recognized landmark of the University.
Nestled deep in the Quad sits the P.O.D., recognizable by its soaring smokestack overhead. It’s there that Dora Porter, a mainstay of St. Mary’s for more than three decades, serves more than just coffee and fresh breakfast tacos.
The campus convenience store, called the P.O.D., or Provisions on Demand, offers food-to-go and daily essentials. But Porter provides the family spirit.
“Students will come to me with their problems, and I’ll pray for them and give them a hug,” she said. “I treat them like they’re my own kids. I offer myself to them, and I love them.”
Starting her journey with Aramark at the Diamondback Café in 1992, Porter worked at the former coffee shop Java City (previously housed in the same building as the P.O.D.), helped open the campus Starbucks in the Cotrell Learning Commons and now continues to serve in the P.O.D.
She met her husband and fellow Aramark employee, Joe Porter, in 1992, and the two were together until he died in 2022.
Starting her mornings at 5:30 a.m., Porter makes and wraps all the breakfast tacos, which have a habit of flying off the shelves. Her duties also include taking inventory, stocking the shelves and ringing up customers.
Every morning, different members of the University community can be seen inside chatting, making the on-campus convenience store feel more like a home.
“My favorite thing is seeing everybody get along with each other,” she said. “Everyone is friendly. I get to meet new professors, new members of leadership and new students.”
On the way to class (sometimes, she jokes, more so during midterms and finals), students will come and talk about their classes.
Dora Porter“This is home. The students come in every day, and they have something to tell me. That’s what I like seeing.”
Manuel Palma, a junior Mechanical Engineer major, stops at the P.O.D. for a drink and snacks, always making sure to have a brief chat with Porter before leaving. Those interactions can help make his day better.
“She’s always checking up on me,” Palma said. “If you’re having a stressful day, having someone ask you about it really improves your mood.”
Porter has no plans for retirement. Treating the students as her own children, she says they, in the end, give more to her than she can for them.
“This is home,” she said. “The students come in every day, and they have something to tell me. That’s what I like seeing.”
