For retired NOVA faculty members Robert (Bob) C. Loser and Reva A. Savkar, Northern Virginia Community College has been the foundation of a lifetime of purpose. It is where they met as colleagues, built distinguished careers as educators, and found a shared mission: ensuring that every NOVA student has the opportunity to succeed.

Together, Bob and Reva dedicated nearly 70 years to NOVA, witnessing firsthand the determination and resilience of the students they served. They taught learners who were balancing full-time jobs, caring for families, and overcoming financial hardships, all while pursuing the dream of a college education.

"Our students come to NOVA because they have hope," Reva said. "They're choosing education because they want to build a better future, even while facing tremendous challenges." 

Those experiences inspired the couple's latest act of philanthropy: the Prabha Gokhale and Hazel Loser “Annapoorna” Food Security Fund, created to help address food insecurity among NOVA students.

For Bob, the need is simple and urgent:

"You can't be expected to do your best academically if you're hungry," he said. "Sometimes just a little bit of help is enough to get someone over a difficult moment so they can stay focused on learning."

Named after Reva's grandmother, Annapoorna, a Sanskrit word meaning abundant nourishment, the fund reflects values that have shaped both of their lives. Reva grew up watching her grandparents welcome students into their home, ensuring they always had a meal and support as they pursued their education.

"My earliest memories are of seeing students cared for before anyone else sat down to eat," Reva said. "I learned that helping others isn't charity. It's a privilege."

Today, Bob and Reva are carrying that tradition forward by helping ensure NOVA students have access to one of life's most basic necessities: food.

Having spent decades at NOVA, Bob and Reva know the ripple effect of investing in students. They have watched former students become nurses, scientists, educators, and community leaders, many returning years later to share how a professor, a scholarship, or a helping hand changed the course of their lives.

"We choose NOVA because we've been part of NOVA," Bob said. "We know how many dedicated people are working every day to help students succeed, and we believe deeply in that mission."

For Reva, supporting students' basic needs is about preserving hope.

"When students don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, they can focus on what brought them here, their dreams," she said. "Hope allows people to look forward instead of worrying about how they'll make it through tomorrow."

Bob and Reva believe that every act of generosity, no matter the size, helps strengthen not only individual students but the entire Northern Virginia community.

"We want to leave the world a little better than we found it," Bob said.

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