Students donate 4,000 pounds of food
SAN LUIS, Ariz. — Students in a remedial education program here recently turned over nearly 4,100 pounds of canned goods and other non-perishable food they collected for the Yuma Community Food Bank.
The delivery is the first of a total of 7,000 pounds of food the students in the current YouthBuild class hope to deliver to the food bank by the end of next month.
YouthBuild is a nationwide program that helps high school dropouts learn skills in the construc- tion trades while earning high school equivalency certificates.
As part of program requirements, students undertake community service projects. Successive classes of the San Luis YouthBuild program have chosen the food bank as their beneficiary, and each class has sought to exceed the amount of food collected by the prior class.
The current students, who make Group 17 of the San Luis program administered by the non-profit organization PPEP, set at least 7,000 pounds of food as its goal when it began collecting in April.
“Each group leaves a legacy and a record to break,” said Jesse Lopez, YouthBuild coordinator in San Luis. “The previous group gathered 6,553 pounds of food.”
The 4,095 pounds delivered recently to the Yuma Community Food Bank couldn’t have come at a better time, said Shara Merten, the bank’s president.
In the summer months, the area’s unemployment rate rises while donations to the food bank typically taper off.
“This program does an excellent job in helping the young people understand that the food they bring in helps the entire county, and they understand the importance of giving something back to the community.”
Apart from raising food for the food bank, the Youth-Build students have also been collecting food, school supplies and other items for children in the Bethel orphanage in San Luis Rio Colorado, Son.
Anyone wishing to contribute food to the student’s food drive for the food bank can call 928-920-3661 or drop off donations at the PPEP offices in San Luis, 731 N. 1st St.