Student based organization being applauded for helping organize the monthly food drives
(Seguin) — Although it takes a full-fledged Matador effort to help feed families in Seguin and surrounding areas, there is one unique core group of students who no doubt has become the backbone of the operation. Families needing food assistance are reminded about today’s monthly food distribution drive hosted by the Seguin ISD and San Antonio Food Bank. The drive is being held today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Seguin ISD Central Office parking lot.
Ensuring that food gets into the hands of those who need it are the students of the Seguin Works Transition Program led by Transition Teacher Terri Hartman.
Hartman says the transition program has been a key component in helping to prepare these students for their futures.
“I came from a different district, and it was something that I had done before and they said, ‘hey, they are going to do this, and I just threw this out and (they) said okay, you want to run it? And, I said ‘sure, sure!’ The program itself services 18-to 22-year-old young adults with disabilities. What it does is it provides transitional services, and these services promote them from school toward post-secondary activities whether it be education – it’s preparing them for life beyond high school and from a vocation perspective, working within their community, independent living skills and giving back to the community and this giving back also provides many job skills. The biggest domain area where we work off of minutes is in the vocational field,” said Hartman.
Hartman says for the last four years, the students in her program have reaped the benefits of not only helping others but also setting them up for personal success.
“I think that it has created a lot of self-determination within them. That’s what this program is all about independence and self-determination and self-advocacy. I say those are the three strongest areas and I have just seen vast improvement,” said Hartman. “A lot of great teamwork is displayed. Walls are broken down just by getting out there doing it. It is one thing to teach it – it’s kind of like you and I – I can take teaching lessons all day long. It’s one thing to get out there and do it.”
Hartman says the students have also benefited by working alongside members of other community groups and other student organizations at Seguin High School.
“What else is unique is that it takes all of the members of the Matador family. I really wanted to say that. It’s not just the Transition members. We have members of our community that work with us. The Essential Academics Program which is also young adults with disabilities come over and help. So, with them and mine, we have about dozen out there and they are packaging, sorting, servicing, lifting, delivering, working on time management skills to safety skills to customer service skills, self-advocacy – lots of skills are taking place. We also have members of other groups within the Seguin High School. We’ve had the construction trades work with us. We’ve had members of ROTC work with us. So, we have volunteers that will come and assist us and then we have members of the community within the Central Office come and help us. It takes a whole Matador family, but we have to get it together every month. It’s a beautiful thing,” said Hartman.
Hartman adds that the transition program is one that offers layers of opportunities for her students – layers worth mentioning for a better understanding by the public.
“Another thing is I’ve been doing transition for a lot of years and yes, I had a lot of great ideas but I couldn’t get it done without job coaches that go out on job sites with my students and I put one job coach in charge of any entity like I have a print shop here on the premises and we do a lot of printing but I need a job coach that can run it and the job coach that helps me oversee this with me is Gracie Soto,” said Hartman.
The Seguin Food Pantry, a spinoff of the monthly food distributions, has also recently been established in the Seguin ISD. Hartman says the district food pantry is designed specifically for Seguin ISD staff members and Seguin ISD students.
Today’s food drive will help provide several pounds of foods to those who need it. Food will be distributed until 1 p.m. or until supplies run out. Applications will be conducted on site, so no pre-register is required. The food drives are held every first Thursday of each month between the months of September and May. The Seguin ISD Central Office parking is located at 1221 E. Kingsbury St.