PHOENIX — Just because school is out doesn’t mean the need for meals has gone away for Valley students and other individuals in need.
In fact, St. Mary’s Food Bank says the need goes up, and it’s up to them to fill the gap where students aren’t getting free breakfast and lunch.
That’s just one of the many goals of their annual Summer Feeding Program.
St. Mary’s says they’re handing out roughly 6,000 meals every single day across 120 sites, benefiting students and others who really need it.
Recently, ABC15’s Nick Ciletti went to GateWay Community College in Phoenix to check out their ACE Program – where students are not only earning college credit for free, they’re also getting breakfast and lunch provided, helping to ensure their minds and bellies stay full this summer!
Barely old enough to drive, these Valley high school juniors and seniors are getting a taste of what college life is really like.
ACE stands for Achieving a College Education. The goal is to help these Valley high school students, many of whom are first-generation college students or face other unique challenges, and help get them ready for their futures.
The goal is to have them earn 24 credits by the time they graduate from high school. And the best part is – it’s totally free.
Leah Smith-Thompson says it’s life-changing for so many students.
“Most of our students are first-generation college students…it’s the first time anyone in their family has stepped onto a college campus,” explains Smith-Thompson. “It really opens the door for them to see anybody can go to college.”
But it’s not just an education they’re getting. Thanks to St. Mary’s Food Bank and their Summer Feeding Program, each day, these students are also getting free breakfast and lunch.
Volunteers needed for the Summer Feeding Program at St. Mary’s
“I think it really helps to start stimulating the brain. You can’t focus when you’re tired or hungry.”
“Sometimes, I forget to eat breakfast, but I know, I have the assurance here, that there is breakfast and I can eat lunch too in case I get hungry during class,” explains Afna, a senior who’s in her second year of ACE.
For her and her friend Sahra, who both want to pursue careers in the medical field, knowing their community cares is part of the motivation to keep going.
“I feel really lucky because a lot of people don’t get this opportunity,” explains Sahra.
They are opportunities that Andrew Lara, who’s a high school junior, realizes already, and says all of it is helping him achieve his goals of studying business and serving in the U.S. Marines.
Andrew would be the first person in his family to earn a college degree, and explains it would mean a lot to achieve that goal.
“It would mean all my hard work paid off,” Andrew says.
Knowing his meals are covered twice a day also helps him save money.
“There’s a lot of mornings I can’t have breakfast, mostly because I am in a rush,” says Jaretzi Pioquinto, who hopes to become a doctor. “I am grateful for the food and all the opportunities given to me.”
If you’d like to volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank and help with their Summer Feeding Program, click here.
If you’d like more information about the ACE Program at Gateway, want to learn how to enroll, or how you can take action and donate or volunteer, click here.
