SAN ARDO — Santa’s helpers from Aera Energy’s San Ardo oil field brightened the holidays for students from San Ardo School, San Ardo Head Start Preschool and their families.
Each student received gifts and their families were given the makings for a special holiday meal this year. The adopt-a-family gift and meal distribution event was coordinated by Aera Energy in conjunction with the office of Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez.
“Our families are still struggling and that’s shown in our enrollment, which is down this year,” said Catherine Reimer, principal of San Ardo School and superintendent of the San Ardo Union Elementary School District. “A lot of families had to move out of the area due to a lack of work. Many of the families who have remained continue to experience financial hardships. So many of our families have trouble putting meals on the dinner table every night, let alone purchase gifts for the holidays.”
Aera employees and Lopez handed out 100 gifts to students, as well as 70 complete pozole-meal kits to families at the distribution event held right before the school’s holiday break. The pozole kits included all the makings to cook a meal that would traditionally be enjoyed by Hispanic families during the holidays and were assembled by the Food Bank for Monterey County.
“While turkeys, stuffing and cranberry sauce are typically distributed during holiday meal drives, I’ve heard from many of our local families that turkey isn’t what they would traditionally serve during the holidays,” Lopez said. “We distributed a few pozole kits last year and they were so well received that we decided to expand the distribution this year. We’re grateful for Aera’s partnership to make this possible in San Ardo. We definitely want to provide traditional meals that families can enjoy together during the holidays.”
Aera’s San Ardo employees adopted, purchased and wrapped gifts for every single student enrolled at San Ardo School and the San Ardo Head Start Preschool. This was Aera’s largest adopt-a-family effort ever held in the South Monterey County community.
“We’re so incredibly appreciative for Aera Energy and Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez’s office for putting families in San Ardo first and doing something special for them here,” Reimer said. “Aera and the county supervisor’s office coming together to help put presents under the tree and holiday meals on the table will really be special for our families.”
