Just in time for the holidays, Thomas Jefferson High School is hosting its annual food bank distribution to help families through the winter break.
Students, parents, staff and the community played a huge role in making this event possible.
It’s been a blessing for families like Angie Chadwick’s who have struggled to make ends meet this year.
“I had a really bad accident in early October and I couldn’t work, so … my kids just need a little help this year for Christmas,” Chadwick said.
Many families are having a tough time this holiday season, and community projects like this mean a lot to them.
Alicia Pulido, a paycheck-to-earth woman with two children, said she gets help to make ends meet each month.
“I appreciate everything they’ve done for us,” Pulido said.
Holiday handouts include families receiving gifts, holiday meals and extra food to help them through the holidays.
The school’s social worker, Samantha Davis, has seen the need for meals increase during COVID and has since been instrumental in community efforts.
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“We knew they had a month off, so the pantry provided all of that, and they got a turkey and a King Soopers gift card,” Davis said.
The school prides itself on caring for students and families.
“I think the need here has grown, I think they’ve got real support, we have a lot of students who are immigrants or something … we’re just trying to remove all the barriers so they can learn,” Davis added.
This is truly a community effort involving students, parents and staff.
“It’s great to see that we can help other families because I have friends who might even need a little support to come here to buy food … so it’s great to see that I can help my good friend or anyone,” said Saide Perkins, a A student of Thomas Jefferson.
Student organizations play a huge role in raising food, including the school’s basketball team and DECA, the distributed education club of America.
The food pantry is open to families in the school and they always accept donations. For more donation information, please visit: https://bit.ly/3uQ7tqb
