Food For The Weekend: Food 4 Kids NM Helps Feed Our Neediest Children
Sombrillo – Every week during the school year the Food 4 Kids program delivers 286 bags of food to three schools in the Valley for children to take home during the weekend. Guru Simran Kaur Khalsa, the program’s creator and primary organizer explained that it originally began as an effort to help some of the children who attend Sombrillo Elementary. Teachers and school staff knew some children did not have regular meals at home so Guru Simaran stepped up and volunteered to bring food for these children to take home as needed.
In cooperation with the school staff and the Santa Fe Food Pantry, the program became a structured system for supplying each identified child with a bag of easy to open and use foods that they can take home Friday so they will have food during the weekend.
Today the program covers children at Sombrillo Elementary, Hernandez Elementary and the Santa Clara Day School.
The program is funded strictly through donations and feeds these children on a weekly budget of $900, or about three dollars per child.
Those interested in helping to fill the food bags or in donating are invited to drop by the Sikh ashram at 12:30 every Thursday when volunteers come together to fill and deliver the food bags. The ashram is located in Sobrillo, just opposite the old Sombrillo elementary school off Hwy 106. A free lunch is also provided on Thursdays for all visitors and friends. People may also send an email to food4kidsnm@gmail.com for more information.
See below from some images of a recent Food 4 Kids workday and a video about the program.
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This video was produced by Food 4 Kids NM a few years ago as a fundraising appeal. Courtesy Food 4 Kids NM