Southwest High School students stunned with surprise grant to fight campus food insecurity

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) - Students at Southwest High School are heading into the weekend with a major reason to celebrate after a surprise announcement turned an ordinary school day into an unforgettable milestone.

On Friday, the school's Purple & Gold Pantry received a massive financial boost in its ongoing fight against community hunger.

The student-led pantry was awarded a grant through the Explore.Act.Tell (E.A.T.) program, funded by the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning in partnership with the Albertsons Companies Foundation.

However, the presentation took an unexpected turn when organizers stunned the classroom by revealing an additional, unannounced $1,000 grant for the program.

Recent data shows that nearly 30% of students at Southwest High School experience food insecurity.

The pantry is run entirely by students in the CTE Health Science and Public Health Pathway, who track inventory, run donation drives, and assemble nutritious meal kits for local families.

"I feel like every so often I get told things that happen that I never have the power to do anything because I'm just a teenager in this high school, right?" said Azul Prieto, a student leader at the pantry. "But here, I have the opportunity to do something about a real problem."

Southwest High School was one of five schools to apply for the initial grant, ultimately being hand-picked by local Albertsons store associates due to their unique, discrete approach to helping peers.

"The creative way that they are getting the food to their fellow students that doesn't have those students stand out and it's very confidential...I think resonated with the team that voted," said Courtney Carranza, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Albertsons Companies Foundation.

The surprise bonus funding caught students off guard, which was exactly what program leaders had hoped for.

"It was really hard to keep the secret about the extra thousand dollars because I knew how meaningful it would be for the students," shared Jackie Valadez, a CTE teacher and Purple and gold Pantry advisor at Southwest High School. "But I genuinely wanted them to have that surprise experience."

According to Carranza, the funding is a direct result of community generosity at local checkout stands.

"What we do to fundraise at our stores at the pin pads and with hunger bags does go directly back into the Imperial County community," Carranza explained. "We have two stores in Imperial County, and all of those funds from those stores raised go to the Imperial County Food Bank that goes directly back into the community, including this high school. So what our customers donate will stay in the county here."

As many of the pantry's current leaders are seniors preparing for graduation, they hope underclassmen will step up to carry on the tradition.

"It feels amazing actually," Prieto said. "I think this class is a great opportunity to just get out there. If you have a teeny-tiny bit of curiosity about the health pathway, this class is perfect because it gives you such a broad understanding of a lot of things."

Valadez hopes the empathy and innovation the students practiced in the pantry will follow them long after they leave Southwest High School.

"This is part of their story, and maybe they don't end up in public and community health, but I know that their compassion and their empathy for others and the community will be evident in anything they choose," Valadez said.

The Purple & Gold Pantry accepts donations throughout the year to keep its shelves stocked. For more information on how you can donate or get involved, email Jackie Valadez at jvaladez@mycuhsd.org.