When Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were withheld in early November 2025 during the government shutdown, many churches and non-profit organizations stepped up to help feed their communities.
One such effort was led by the faculty and student body of St. Joseph School in San Fidel, NM, who launched a temporary food pantry they called the “Harvest of Hope”.
Tonya Louis, the school’s pre-k and kindergarten early childhood director, said when she first approached the principal and fellow faculty with the idea, she was nervous that it might be too monumental an undertaking.
“I didn’t think that I was going to have much support because it was a busy time,” she recalls. “But everyone immediately jumped on board and thought it was a great idea.”
Principal Antonio Trujillo was excited for the opportunity to teach students about the importance of charity.
“Service is part of our pillars, you know: academic culture, environment, and service. How could we as a school serve the community, because the communities have supported us as a school?”
According to Louis, the local reaction to the pantry was much larger than anyone anticipated, with requests for food packages coming from local public schools, Acoma and Laguna Pueblos, and Cibola Count families.
“We are a tight-knit community. We are nested around tribal communities as well as the local Spanish Land Grant community,” she said. “I feel like it’s just really important for us as a Catholic school and a Catholic community to ensure that we are living the Gospel and that we are there for everyone around us.”
The pantry also received support from neighbors – many non-Catholic – who wanted to contribute, whether through monetary or food donations. Churches, a food distribution company, and even local farmers all sent non-perishable items, Thanksgiving foods, and fresh fruits and vegetables. St. Joseph School organized multiple volunteers to assemble the food packages to be delivered to needy students, families, and elders.
This kind of service effort is nothing new for the school – Trujillo recalled a period in 2022 when the Pueblo of Acoma had no access to clean water. At that time, students and staff – many of whom are Pueblo residents themselves – raised money for water containers and provided water from the school.
“We’re part of a bigger community. And what can we do as part of our service to that community? Especially in light of what Pope Leo has written,” he said, referencing Dilexi Te, the Pope’s exhortation on love of the poor.
“How do we step up to the plate to those that we are called by the Gospel to serve?”