Trying to keep students hunger-free for the holidays
Many children in Santa Fe’s public schools struggle with food insecurity, but advocates say other youth can help make a difference
Most people see winter break and the holidays that come with it as a relief. It is a time for celebrating with family and eating piles of food. People enjoy opening gifts from loved ones and equally enjoy the time spent away from the stress of school and exams.
But for those living in poverty, the holidays aren’t spent opening presents — they are spent on empty stomachs.
According to the national nonprofit No Kid Hungry, in 2016, 1 in 6 — roughly 13 million — children in America lives in households without food security or consistent access to enough food, and according to various in-state reports, New Mexico has the highest overall childhood poverty level of any state. No Kid Hungry data from 2016 also shows that 30.1 percent of children under the age of 18 are living below the poverty level, many of whom rely on federally funded programs, including the free and reduced-price lunch program.
So for many students, time spent away from school means time away from free meals — or any meals at all.
Chris Pederson, a teacher at Santa Fe High School who runs the school’s food and clothing bank, said that low-income students who spend long periods of time away from school often go hungry during that time. Even two days away from school food has an impact, he said.
“Mondays are the worst day because many of the kids have gone without food all weekend long and they will eat anything and everything we have,” Pederson said. “Fridays we have kids who need to take enough food home for their families for the weekend.”
The Food for Thought food and clothing bank at Santa Fe High School was founded seven years ago with the mindset that students can’t learn if they are hungry. The bank’s “no questions asked” policy allows anyone in need to seek out a snack, meal or fresh set of clothes.
“We have a population of kids who only have one or two changes of clothes, and they are embarrassed to keep wearing the same clothes. It is an amazing transformation to watch when a kid puts on a new set of clothes so that they come to school every day and be proud,” he said.
According to Pederson, the bank helps between 60 and 100 visitors each day. But, he said, “Many of our most needy students will go hungry over this holiday season. Food for Thought made up bags of food for students to grab as they headed out the door, and the students took about 25 bags in the last week of school before the holidays.”
Santa Fe High School is not the only school whose students struggle with poverty. Some 70 percent of the 12,000-plus students in Santa Fe’s public schools come from low-income backgrounds and impoverished families, and close to 10 percent of those students are considered homeless by federal standards.
That’s one reason why students from Capital High School’s Interact Club raise funds each year for 150 Thanksgiving meals for their impoverished classmates.
Capital High School senior Jose Medina, president of the Interact Club, recently led a coalition of students, parents and volunteers in not only raising funds for those holiday meals, but in packing them up so those in need could pick them up at the district’s Adelante facility. Adelante is a program that works to support homeless students and their families. (Efforts to reach a representative from Adelante for comment for this story were unsuccessful.)
Medina said that after the students put together those meals on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, “You just feel amazing.”
Many of those families otherwise would have had nothing or little to eat over the Thanksgiving weekend, he said.
He and others said that local youth can make a difference when it comes to helping those who may not be able to enjoy the most merry of Christmases.
Angelica Olivas, a senior at Santa Fe High School, also recently took time out with some friends to volunteer for the Interfaith Homeless Shelter. She helped serve warm meals to those in need while some of her fellow students helped to prepare those meals.
“I know a lot of my classmates who rely on free and reduced,” Olivas said. “But going to the shelter was really eye-opening because I saw how much everyone truly appreciated the food we were giving them and how thankful they were to have it.”
While high school clubs and efforts such as the Interact Club, Key Club International, National Honor Society, and St. Michael’s High School’s coat and clothing drive work to assist impoverished families, several local organizations also provide aid.
Wings for Hope, which runs Toys 4 Tots, also works to provide toys, food and other necessities to impoverished children and teens. The Food Depot on Siler Road, which hosts food drives at grocery stores and other local businesses, is a regular donor to high school organizations like Food for Thought, and the food bank is frequently seeking volunteers and food items. In addition, Adelante always works to provide food, clothing and other support services to students and their families in need.
While it’s easy to summon support and empathy for those in need around the holiday season, it’s a problem that doesn’t go away the rest of the year.
Aurelia Valente is a senior at Santa Fe High School. Contact her at aureliatanei@gmail.com.
Ramona Park is a senior at Santa Fe High School. Contact her at yoharamona@gmail.com.