Crime has decreased since the 90’s when the Watts neighborhood and other areas in south-central Los Angeles were plagued by race riots. Hispanics are now in the majority with a significant African American minority. Latin-inspired music is heard just as often as hip-hop music. The areas are bustling—with lots of foot traffic, cars, and street vendors. Some of the neighborhoods are gateway communities for Central American immigrants.

Some things have changed, but what hasn’t changed is poverty.

Communities In Schools is a national organization that empowers students to break through personal life challenges and define the future they want. The Communities In Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA) program is embedded in 13 Los Angeles schools, some in the Watts neighborhood; three of those schools are part of the Blessings in a Backpack program.

“These are rough neighborhoods — some with gang activity that stems from a collection of housing projects,” according to CISLA’s Program Manager Melvin Noriega. With few big-box grocery stores in the area, families often rely on neighborhood liquor stores for their grocery shopping.

“Food insecurity is very real in the schools we are in. The Blessings in a Backpack program really makes a difference,” adds Noriega.

Middle school students are often hesitant to receive Blessings’ food—but Noriega said middle school administrative staff stood at the gates of the middle schools, and as the kids left for the weekend, they were eager to grab a Blessings bag to take home. Once a few started taking the bags as they left the property — all of them followed suit. Many of them asked for bags for younger siblings, and community members who were walking by could also benefit from the donation. Moms with strollers, picking up their kids from school asked for extra bags to help get through the weekend.

Noriega says the contents of the Blessings food, with brand name products, are very popular. The kids often receive what they call “county food,” generic items that need preparation. Many of them pass up that free food—but Noriega says that doesn’t happen with the Blessings bags.

“When the kids see the brand name products, like Campbells, Ritz, and Kellogg, they just light up!”

Parents love the fact that the food is ready to eat. Noriega says even the teachers whose kids receive the food feel validated and appreciated by the Blessing’s food. “The Blessing’s program makes everyone’s day a little lighter and easier.”

Communities In Schools connect their students with community resources; the support the Blessings program provides is a bonus for the students and their families. With fierce competition for students in Los Angeles from charter schools— Noriega says the Blessings program has an additional purpose. “The Blessings program is a selling point for enrolling. We feel very lucky to have this resource; anything we can do to provide additional resources to our students and their families builds trust within the community.”

This year, Communities In Schools partnered with Blessings to feed 1,000 kids nationwide — 450 in Los Angeles, 350 in Atlanta, and 200 in Columbus, Ohio.