BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Christmas break is approaching, and many low-income students and families are in need of resources.
United Way of Central Eastern California has partnered with various community organizations for their fourth installment of healthy minds healthy bodies. The event aims to lend a hand to students who need resources right before Christmas break.
“Boxes of food with books and community resources and dental hygiene kits to distribute to these children and to these families in need. As we know, literacy and hunger are two of the biggest issues in Kern County, so we wanted to find a way to blend solving them,” said Sydney Cullen, Marketing and Campaigns Assistant for UWKC.
Organizers emphasized the importance of providing these students with things that will help them succeed.
“We definitely want to make sure that their basic needs are met so that they are able to continue to read and thrive and we believe that having access to books and reading is one of their basic needs,” said Cullen.
They say having access to reading books is crucial for the developmental stages of children not only in the classroom but at home as well.
“To be able to provide those food boxes for them, keeps them full and satisfied and also providing the books for them it’s really focusing on their development,” said Gabriel Adame, UKWC’s Marketing Manager.
Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez acknowledged that not many students within this area have accessible resources within reach – but one thing these students do indeed have is the love and support from those here at home.
“We know it’s a low resource community, a low-income community. But certainly, it is not low or short of love.”
It’s not just during the holidays, the organization works to provide necessities to students all year long.
“We are so excited to be able to provide this type of program to some school districts that might not have the ability to provide this,” said Adame.
