Galilee Center

The Galilee Center is in its tenth year of the Supplement Food Program for School-Age Children. The Supplemental Food Program helps to ensure that children who qualify for a free lunch from the Coachella Valley Unified School District receive supplemental food when school is not in session. The Program also provides the children with nutritional foods to not go hungry when school is out. This strategy addresses childhood hunger to meet the community demand for the project.

The Galilee Center provides emergency services for children residing in the Eastern Coachella Valley. The children are 100% Hispanic and live in the farm/migrant workers’ trailer parks and low-income housing, a low economic region of Eastern Riverside County. This Program addresses the community need of school-age children for supplemental food when school is out of session, and the school lunch program is not available.

There is an estimated 16 weeks that schools are not in session annually. Supplementing food for children for these periods is a priority at the Galilee Center. The Program is done once every week during the regular Food Distribution at the Hammond Road site in Mecca. The Galilee Center strives to supply children with nutritious foods. These include bread, dairy products, peanut butter, macaroni/cheese, soups, meats, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables. Each child is provided each visit with enough food supplements for one week’s worth of food during the days when school is closed. School closures are projected to be 51 days during the summer break, 11 days during the winter break, and five days during the spring break, plus eight holidays.

Thank you, Anderson Children’s Foundation, for making this program possible!

Contact: Claudia Castorena, CFO/Cofounder

Email: ccastorena@galileecenter.org

Phone: (760) 396-9100