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Cristina Gomez, left, and Mirna Aquino, right prepare bags of food for local families at Sequoia Union High School District's Central Kitchen in Redwood City on Nov. 23. Photo by Olivia Treynor.
Cristina Gomez, left, and Mirna Aquino, right prepare bags of food for local families at Sequoia Union High School District’s Central Kitchen in Redwood City on Nov. 23. Photo by Olivia Treynor.

Sequoia Union High School District officials distributed free Thanksgiving meal kits to families of local students in kindergarten through 12th grade this week due to “overwhelming” demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

District officials gave out 2,400 meals to roughly 600 families, which included turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, gravy, peas and carrots, stuffing, cranberry sauce and blueberry crumble, through a contactless drive-thru at the Food Services Central Kitchen in Redwood City on Monday, Nov. 23.

“There was nothing but gratitude from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” said Yaz Widatalla, the district’s food services supervisor on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

This school year, the district has offered free breakfast and lunch to all children under the age of 18 — including students who don’t attend district schools — while campuses are closed for distance learning. Food insecurity has increased during the pandemic, Widatalla said.

“Why not do something a little bit extra?” he said of the meal kits. “Not only to reach out to the students, but the families as well.”

District officials are also considering distributing meals around the Christmas holiday.

  • 42689_original-1
    Christy Velho, left, and Makebra Gardner, right, organize bags of Thanksgiving meal kits on Nov. 23. Photo by Olivia Treynor.
  • 42691_original-1
    Cristina Gomez hands food to a family in their car at Central Kitchen in Redwood City on Nov. 23. Photo by Olivia Treynor.
  • 42687_original-1
    The Sequoia Union High School District distributed Thanksgiving meal kits fat Central Kitchen in Redwood City on Nov. 23. Photo by Olivia Treynor.
  • 42690_original-1
    Makebra Gardner grabs a bag of food to give to a family at Central Kitchen in Redwood City on Nov. 23. Photo by Olivia Treynor.

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Angela Swartz was The Almanac's editor from 2023 until 2025. She joined The Almanac as a reporter in 2018. She previously reported on youth and education, and the towns of Atherton, Portola Valley and...

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1 Comment

  1. What a wonderful ,compassionate and generous community gesture of providing food before, during and after Thanksgiving. The unrelenting and lengthy pandemic has brought home like never before, how food insecurity is real and rampant and in our own local cities and neighborhoods.
    I applaud SUHSD’s efforts and hope they can find a way to continue to give food to those that need it throughout the District. Bravo, SUHSD!

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