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Dear Lafayette Community,
While Mayor Lurie announced last week that President Trump has called off deployment of troops to San Francisco, we want to ensure that our community is informed, prepared and organized to do everything we can to support and protect our community during any possible ICE deployments, now and in the future. We are also aware of the impending cut off of vital SNAP benefits and the impact that might have on families in our community.
Regarding the presence of immigration enforcement in the Bay Area, we wanted to echo the messages that Superintendent Su and Principal Kassebaum have shared, affirming that our school is welcoming and safe for our children. We are also, working closely with the teacher’s union to align our efforts to keep all of our community safe from the raids that have been happening in other cities:
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Partnering with a local food pantry to put together and deliver premade grocery bags so that they can be delivered to Lafayette families in need; and
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Organizing Lafayette volunteers to help get students to and/or from school safely.
If you are able to volunteer for any or all of these opportunities (packing and delivering grocery bags, dropping off or picking up children) please let us know by providing your information here.
We understand that sharing information via Google Form or email might be cause for concern for families who might be impacted by any ICE presence in the neighborhood. If you are in need of community support for any of the above, please contact parents Mike Winn at 703-408-1239 or Liz Voigt at 202-997-6171. Mike and Liz are lawyers who have volunteered to provide a private way to connect families who need support with volunteers.
Several parents are also creating a Community Rapid Response Network. If you are interested in being part of this group, please email me at lafayettevolunteers@gmail.com
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As many are aware, SNAP benefits will be ending this weekend for the foreseeable future. For those who are impacted, we are fortunate to have two local resources:
The Richmond Neighborhood Center
We have a great supplemental food pantry program through The Richmond Neighborhood Center located on 30th and Balboa. It’s simple to sign up as you just need to be a resident of The Richmond district.
They open the pantry 4 days a week at set locations in the Richmond District and encourage households to sign up by stopping by their pantry distribution location right here at Lafayette Elementary School by the PE shed in the yard every Tuesday, from 3pm-4pm. When you arrive, ask for Mary, the head coordinator of their food pantry program. Mary and her team are the sweetest and will take good care of you. For more information about other hours and days of operation or to register, feel free to visit their website at:
https://richmondsf.org/food-security/.
Pantry 38
Lafayette parent and PTA exec board member Cristina Manzanares also manages a free weekly community rescue pantry called “Pantry 38.”
Pantry 38’s mission is to rescue perfectly good food from across the food groups and redistribute to our Richmond District neighborhood all while strengthening and building our community connections one family at a time. The pantry is held 1-3 times per week in the Outer Richmond and is open to all residents living in The Richmond District.
How to join: If you have Facebook, please join the private group. When you click “Join” make sure to answer all the questions before submitting your request.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1248827793638251/?ref=share&mibextid=wwXIfr
We will continue to coordinate and provide more information as it becomes available including during our next community meeting on Wednesday, November 12th.
Our PTA has always stood up to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities. Together, we will take that purpose even further.
In Community,
The PTA Board