Among the multitude of clubs at Midtown this year is the new Zero Hunger Club, founded by juniors Max Santa Barbara and Jesus Santana-Estrada to help feed hungry and homeless people in Atlanta.
Santa Barbara said he saw those who are less fortunate in his community and wanted to help get them what they need.
“I started my club because I have always felt empathy for people who do not have the resources that many other people have, particularly [homeless] people,” Santa Barbara said.
Social studies teacher Noel Erskine is the sponsor for Zero Hunger. Erskine said he is proud of his students for taking charge with a good goal.
“I’ll do anything to help the less fortunate,” Erskine said. “If two students are going to take the initiative and put in that work, I really respect that.”
The Zero Hunger Club’s main objective is to tackle food insecurity in Atlanta and the Midtown area. One way the club has done this was with their initial event, a food drive for nonprofit Snack in a Backpack.
“We raised $400 with just that first food drive,” Santa Barbara said. “We are planning to hold many more throughout the school year, so we aim to surpass the $2,000 mark.”
Santana-Estrada said he founded the club with Santa Barbara because he desired to help the underprivileged in and around his school and area.
“My main goal Is to help as many people as possible and to cause a significant and permanent change in our community,” Santana-Estrada said.
Erskine said he feels a connection to the club’s goal from his time living in Atlanta. According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, 11.3% or one in every nine Atlanta residents are food insecure.
“Especially in Atlanta, [food insecurity and homelessness] is an issue,” Erskine said. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to not know where your next meal is coming from, especially if you have a child or family members to care for, so I feel like you have to help alleviate that.”
Santa Barbara was pleasantly surprised by the turnout for the new club, with Erskine saying his classroom was standing room only.
“Attendance has been solid for our 50 members,” Santa Barbara said. “Our first meeting, we had a shocking amount of people. Currently, in our GroupMe, we have 55 members.”
While the first drive with Snack in a Backpack was a success, Santa Barbara and Santana-Estrada have dealt with the issues of being a new club with a broad goal.
“A challenge we have faced is a lack of attentiveness towards our goal,” Santa Barbara said. “As co-founders, we have to stay on topic running our club. I have had issues with attentiveness through our members, but this is something we are working on.”
Zero Hunger Club is working on getting a $2,500 grant from the PTSO to be able to purchase items and meals to donate.
“I’m writing a grant to the PTSO to see if we can get the money to purchase some items, as well,” Erskine said. “We’ll find out on January 24th.”
Santa Barbara said the club plans to hold more events and drives to meet the goal of $2,000 donated by the end of the year.
“We have currently hosted one official food drive, due to complexities we have been unable to establish multiple proper drives,” Santa Barbara said. “Our second food drive will be held soon, and this drive will consist of clothes and food as a winter drive.”
This next event for Zero Hunger Club is a drive of food and backpacks for students at Hope-Hill Elementary School, one of the five elementary schools in the Midtown cluster.
“We’ll get the food and backpacks from the drive, and we will give those out to the students at Hope-Hill Elementary School who need them most,” Erskine said.
The club chose Hope-Hill Because of its proximity to Midtown and its proportion of students from lower-income families. Hope-Hill is the only Title 1 elementary school in the Midtown Cluster.
“[Hope-Hill] is an underprivileged school in our cluster, and they don’t have the same access to supplies as somewhere like Morningside Elementary,” Santa Barbara said.
Santa Barbara said he is happy with the initial success of the club and his ability to make an impact in the community.
“I am proud of establishing a well-rounded club from the ground up, through the slideshows, to the flyers, to successfully hosting a food drive,” Santa Barbara said. “I had a thought of a club, and I made it happen.”
