PTC Clearwater Food Pantry

The Pinellas Technical College (PTC) Food Pantry is a vital resource dedicated to offering support and promoting the holistic well-being of both the student body and the local community. Through accessible services and community outreach, the initiative provides crucial assistance and reinforces the college’s commitment to the success and welfare of its students and neighbors.

Role

Designer | Developer

Responsibilities

Wireframing | Design | Development | Content Management | Responsive Design | Image Editing & Optimization

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This landing page project was built as a charity initiative—a meaningful opportunity to give back to the school that has provided me with significant educational and professional opportunities. The client’s goal was dual-purpose: to create a holistic student support hub informing the community and students about the food pantry and other services (like free haircuts), while strategically using the platform to encourage visitors to explore a long-term career program at PTC.

Project Overview

A collage of photos of the website for the PTC Clearwater Food Pantry.

Core Web Technologies

This project was constructed using only the native WordPress Block Editor, with no external plugins or add-ons. This technical constraint provided a valuable opportunity to move beyond my usual comfort level with builders like Elementor Pro. I focused on leveraging core features and native blocks to build a site that is inherently lightweight, fast, and easy to maintain without reliance on external licenses or complex dependencies. By achieving the client’s goals and delivering a professional aesthetic using simple, default tools, this project successfully demonstrated my adaptability and my ability to create clean, scalable solutions in any WordPress environment.

A screenshot of the WordPress Block Editor environment.

Responsive UX and Layout

The design prioritized high scalability and accessibility, crucial for serving its dual audience. When building this resource, I paid careful attention to the messaging and visual presentation, ensuring the site maintained a non-judgmental, supportive, and welcoming tone—a critical component of the user experience. The layout strategically divides information into clear sections, immediately addressing the needs of both users (students and the local community). This commitment to an organized, compassionate UX ensures visitors can quickly find the vital information required to either receive or offer support, from any device. 

Optimized Code and Structure

Constructed solely with native WordPress blocks, this landing page prioritizes a clean structural integrity for long-term stability. Avoiding external plugins delivered a naturally lightweight and high-performing solution, minimizing technical debt and maximizing site speed. The streamlined architecture ensures the site is highly portable and stable, making ongoing maintenance and content updates efficient and straightforward without encountering complex compatibility issues.
 
A crucial design requirement was adaptability for our diverse audience, which was addressed by configuring the architecture for seamless translation. Furthermore, the underlying structure adheres strictly to accessibility standards for screen reader and keyboard navigation. This commitment to structural quality ensures the site meets high technical standards while being fully inclusive and ready for a wide user base.

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The development of this landing page was an incredible learning opportunity, centered on achieving mastery of the core WordPress Block Editor platform. This experience reinforced the critical importance of balancing technical efficiency with user empathy to deliver a supportive, non-judgmental resource for a dual audience. Most significantly, this was my first project contracted for ongoing, paid monthly upkeep, validating my professional capabilities and demonstrating my ability to build clean, sustained digital solutions with real-world impact for the school and community.

Reflections and Key Takeaways

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