By Nick Diamantides
Staff Writer
Los Cerritos Elementary School in Long Beach donated 300 box lunches to fire victims and relief workers last Friday. The lunches were purchased by the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to be sold during the annual Los Cerritos Fall Festival. But due to air quality concerns, the Long Beach Unified School District canceled the event.
“Even before the district canceled it, there were a lot of mixed feelings,” said Kelli Johnson, PTA vice president of hospitality. “Many parents, teachers and students felt bad that while so many people were suffering nearby, we were going to have this big celebration.”
Johnson noted that when the event cancellation was announced on the school’s loudspeaker system, many of the classrooms broke into spontaneous applause. “That says a lot about our kids,” she added. “It shows that they really care about those in need.”
Johnson and another mom spent most of last Thursday trying to find an agency that would accept the lunches and deliver them to the victims and workers. Finally, with the help of Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, arrangements were made to take the lunches to the county office of emergency management, which delivered them to fire assistance centers in Santa Clarita, Castaic and Malibu.
“We are hopeful that our efforts to assist those who are directly affected by this terrible situation will help our kids to realize how truly fortunate they are, and that they will feel better knowing that they have made a meaningful contribution to people in need,” said school principal Lauren Price.
Johnson said the kids showed their concern by paying for the lunches even though they never touched them, and by donating money to the PTA, which in turn is sending it to the victim assistance centers. “I think if we can get the kids thinking about how they can help, and, more importantly, how we can sacrifice when tragedy strikes, that is more valuable than a parade and a bag full of candy,” she added.
