ST. GEORGE —A Snow Canyon High School service club hopes to be “warriors” against the increasing homeless student rate by coordinating a food and supplies drive.
Latinos in Action, a Hispanic student organization primarily focused on providing service to local communities, took the initiative for the drive after junior Esdras Ancheyta read a recent article on local homeless student rates in St. George News.
“We were shocked,” said Gwyneth Lamoreaux, a senior and student body president for Snow Canyon High School. All the members nodded in unison and agreement.
“When I saw it and how high it was,” Ancheyta said, “I was like, ‘Wow.’ Didn’t realize we (students) were so high for the homeless population.”
Washington County School District statistics indicate 626 students were classified as homeless in December 2022.
Latinos in Action is a national nonprofit headquartered in Sandy, Utah. The Snow Canyon High School chapter has over 50 members with three branches of the organization. The group helps correlate several events throughout the school year with support from the student council.
A major service event is Wish Week, during which students raise funds to fulfill a local student’s or resident’s wish through the Make-A-Wish nonprofit organization, which focuses on people with critical illnesses.
Over the last couple of years, Latinos in Action and Snow Canyon High School have raised over $16,000 for this cause.
Senior and Co-President Charles Gallegos said they helped a student who had a brain issue that resulted in spine problems and paralysis. His wish was to go to Disneyland.
“Another thing we did was play video games with him,” Gallegos said. “His favorite video game was Madden, so we had a bunch of kids play with him in a tournament.”
Lamoreaux said he absolutely loved it.
The other event they assist with is a “Can-ival” — a huge carnival with each student organization and club hosting a vending “carnival-style” booth with games and prizes. Each participant is able to earn carnival tickets by bringing cans of food, which go to the high school food pantry and on to the local Utah Food Bank.
The organization also helps conduct student supplies drives, tutors elementary students at nearby schools, volunteers at the local food bank, raises cultural awareness at Juan-Fest and other events, helps elementary students with social skills, runs Taco Day to raise funds for school needs and more.
The organization is open to all students.
The idea of helping homeless students was well-received by the other members of the Latinos in Action service branch.
Mike Carr, the homeless liaison for the school district, said the items most needed items for homeless students are the following:
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Toothpaste and toothbrushes
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Dental floss
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Stick deodorants for both girls and boys (small travel ones are OK)
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Shampoo and conditioner
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Body wash
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Bars of soap
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Lotion
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Wet Wipes
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Liquid laundry soap
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Sleeping bags
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Pillows
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Blankets
- Cans of food
- Small snacks for energy such as granola bars, fruit snacks, etc.
- Backpacks
- School supplies: pencils, notebooks, paper, etc.
All items can be dropped off at the Snow Canyon High School main office located at 1385 Warrior Way, and all items but food can be dropped off at Washington County School District Office located at 121 W. Tabernacle Street. Both locations are in St. George.
Any leftover school supplies will go to elementary schools for students and teachers.
“We are constantly looking for opportunities of service and we felt like this was something really needed at this time,” Ancheyta said.
For more information about this drive or any of their other service events, contact Snow Canyon High School by calling 435-634-1967.
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