Providence Cristo Rey High School provides a variety of resources for their students – all of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch and receive scholarships to attend the school.

Sister Kathleen Yeadon, the school’s Family Outreach Coordinator, manages many of these resources, like offering gifts at Christmas or finding a crib for a family with a new baby.

All students participate in a work study program, which not only helps fund their tuition, but also develops professional skills for college and beyond. Sr. Kathleen works with students who do on-site work study and has witnessed a transformation in a student she works with at Cristo Rey’s food pantry.

When Sr. Kathleen first met Valeria, a freshman, she was very shy and rarely spoke or made eye contact. Months went by before the two had much of a conversation.

To what does Sr. Kathleen credit Valeria’s eventual breakthrough? Food from Second Helpings.

This semester Sr. Kathleen asked Valeria to help with some projects in the food pantry, which is largely stocked with items from Second Helpings.

“We started coming to pick up food at Second Helpings’ ‘redirect’ sessions, and I was blown away by all the food you make available,” Sr. Kathleen told us. At these sessions, partner agencies are invited to visit Second Helpings’ warehouse to look through our excess food donations – and distribute any of that available food back to those they serve. This program prevents additional food from going to waste.

Here’s Valeria in Providence Cristo Rey’s food pantry, after sorting sugar and tea for local families.

First, Valeria separated large bags of food like beans or rice and divided servings into bags for individual families. “She had so many questions at first, but I was just glad to hear her speak!” Sr. Kathleen remembers.

As Valeria mastered simpler tasks, she started organizing the school’s pantry shelves, preparing for the Tuesday evenings when 25-30 families come to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, dry goods, and more – provided by Second Helpings and local church groups that support the school.

Another week, Sr. Kathleen returned from Second Helpings with lots of lemons, so she brought in a juicer from home and she and Valeria made lemonade to share with staff members, which Valeria took to their offices on her own, something Sr. Kathleen couldn’t have imagined at the beginning of their time together.

“Working with this food has helped her open up,” Sr. Kathleen said. “She has just transformed – she’s talking, she’s excited, and she’s not only seeing that she can succeed in completing tasks, but she gets to see the full circle when the food she prepares is given to families who need it.”

“I just kept recommitting myself to her, we can’t give up and we have to find ways to succeed. I always feel good when our process works, and in this case, it worked because we had the food that provided these projects for her to succeed.”

Together, Sr. Kathleen and Valeria have made Providence Cristo Rey’s food pantry a community space where students and families come to eat and learn, without a stigma attached. Sr. Kathleen finds opportunities to introduce students to foods they’ve never had before, making it a fun opportunity to taste a new fruit and laugh together if it turns out they don’t like it.

“If a kid doesn’t like honeydew, that’s fine,” Sr. Kathleen laughed. “But if we don’t try, what does that say about who we are?”