Dallas ISD Students join LULAC student councils providing food for needy at Cena en el Barrio

Cena en el Barrio Volunteers - Emmett J. Conrad High School

For seven years, Dallas ISD students have given community service through Cena en el Barrio/Dinner in the Hood.  Keeping with tradition,  students representing several high schools gathered today, forming a long, orderly line that wound and stretched deep into the parking lot of Emmett J. Conrad High School, the annual site for this event.

Sponsored by LULAC District 3, in partnership with Tyson Foods and the North Texas Food Bank, the project organizes students to collect and deliver food during the Christmas Holidays for North Texas needy families. By observation, today's participation matched the 200 volunteers and friends of LULAC who serviced  2,500 families last year.

This year the elderly are the prime market for Cena.  Due to need and high unemployment rates, 2,500 elderly families have been identified within North Texas.

Since August, students have solicited food donations for Cena. Today, within a well-organized system, they bagged thousands of food products and helped deliver packages of rice, beans, vegetables and chicken to families identified by LULAC councils.

A special salute to Sgt. 1st Class Gerald J. Prudhomme, Maj. Delmar F. Graves and Conrad High School  R.O.T.C. cadets for many hours of work to prepare for and implement Cena.

Students were pleased to receive greetings from Supt. Mike Miles who came to congratulate them for participating.

Volunteers were supported by several community representatives  due appreciation for their guidance:  former Dallas ISD Trustee Trina Garza and Richard Sambrano, Cena co-chairs; Rene Martinez, District 3 LULAC Director; and Patricia I. Munoz, LULAC District 3 Deputy Director for Youth.

Additional helping hands came from: Hector Flores, former District 3 Director, Chris Romero and Paul Wonderlick.

Much appreciation to Conrad High School counselor Coty Rodriguez and campus lead custodian Stephanie Hill for their many contributions.

Thanks to Principal Lucy Hackemack, campus leader at Conrad High School.

Cena en el Barrio provided a full, healthy serving of student and community volunteerism at Emmett J. Conrad High School today.

Counselor Rodriguez and Students