The 'Pickles' and 'Jams' fight against local homelessness

By Jaclyn Loveless

Mason jars are typically used for one thing, but Russell Travis likes to think outside the box - or jar. The CSUB sociology professor uses them as part of his Quarters for Kids fundraising initiative. The program recently wrapped up its first fundraising campaign with the Greenfield School District's after-school program.

Travis said the students raised $923.66 during their two-week fall fundraiser. "This set of results coming from any school district is remarkable," Travis said. "But coming from one as lacking in extra cash as Greenfield is a very good omen. It is those who are the more cash strapped among us who can often more personally identify with the plight of others even less well off."

Even Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall and Kern Schools Federal Credit Union got on board and donated matching checks to the organization.

Quarters for Kids, an expansion of Travis's Homeless Quarters organization, provides lesson plans for elementary and middle schools to assist in raising children's knowledge levels of homelessness and collecting donations to help local homeless children.

Ten schools within the Greenfield School District's after-school program participated in the two-week lesson, contest and fundraiser. The first- through eighth-graders took part in educational activities and boosted the effort by either "Helping Others out of a Jam" or "Helping Others out of a Pickle" using labeled mason jars to collect the donations. Travis said "The Jams" and "The Pickles" faced off against each other to see who could collect the most money in the jars to win the competition and help out local homeless children.

The Greenfield Family Resource Center selected a family of six to receive help from the fundraiser. The center helps their clients locate affordable housing and tries to establish a budget they can afford. Coordinator Linda Raygoza said they made the right choice. "We're glad to be able to help them," she said. "They're working and we didn't want to put them into a place where they couldn't stay."

Hall is thrilled he could help further the cause. "Any opportunity when I can help homeless families or homeless children I make an effort to get involved," he said. "When I found out that students were bringing quarters to help a homeless family I had to be a part of that. It's commendable that the students of the Greenfield School District have chosen to give back to their community."

The excess donated funds will be placed into an account and will be saved for local financial help requests made to the organization.

Travis' daughter and former educator, Lori Travis, helped create the lesson plans in compliance with state standards and expectations.

The lessons include students learning the social needs of people in the community and reading poems on homelessness. "These activities teach and help kids understand the homeless and open the desire of wanting to help," said Rosa Corona, site coordinator for Fairview Elementary School's Success After-School Program. "It's an awesome way to teach our students about a serious issue happening in our country," she said. "We get to show them we can make a difference in people's lives by doing our part."

Corona and the tutors discovered the misconceptions children have about the homeless. "The students were confused at first," she explained. "They were asked to define the word homeless and they described it as poor, ugly, dirty, on drugs. They then learned how people, entire families, become homeless and their eyes widened when they learned it could happen to anyone. Once they understood that, they immediately wanted to know how they can help."

Travis foresees other school districts getting involved. "You have to have a lot of patience. You can't give up," he said. "Once a school district makes it happen the rest will want to."

Travis founded Homeless Quarters in 2002 as a means to raise funds to help the homeless and near-homeless in Kern County. "A lot of these people are middle class and have fallen through the cracks due to downsizing or lack of affordable housing," he said. His Homeless Quarters Foundation has placed clear plastic containers shaped like houses, with the inscription, "United We Stand Against Homelessness in America," in various Kern County businesses asking residents to deposit a spare quarter.

And it really does add up. "I did the math," he said. "If one quarter of the population of Kern County placed one quarter a day for a year, it would add up to be almost $15 million."

The organization has really taken off. Close to 150 businesses and offices throughout Bakersfield, including CSUB, now carry the donation containers. Just last year it collected $10,000 and formed a board of directors. He plans to expand the Homeless Quarters project to include other areas such as Fresno and San Luis Obispo.

For more information visit www.homelessquarters.org.