June 26, 1990 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 15717 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS SANTA MONICA STUDENTS HELP this happening" and is more conscious of people a day, Executive Director Vivian THE HOMELESS the homeless. Rothstein said. Every year, it serves about A few students who have brought extra 4,500 people. "You just have to need food. lunches said they did so-at least original­ We provide it," Rothstein said. HON. MEL LEVINE ly-because it's a school activity. About a third of the food is donated by in­ OF CALIFORNIA Casey Mortensen, 11, said he participates dividuals, churches, restaurants and civic to help people who are less fortunate." But groups, a third is from the Westside Food IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES he acknowledged that "I normally wouldn't Bank and a third is bought, Rothstein said. Tuesday, June 26, 1990 have thought of it . but [the school] Donations, especially juice and high-protein brought it up." Others said they felt power­ food, are always needed, she said. Mr. LEVINE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise less to help the homeless, and the lunch Other schools run food drives periodically, today to draw my colleagues' attention to an program provided an easy way to do so. but PS No. 1 is the only one to provide sack elementary school in my district whose stu­ The plight of the homeless is not new to lunches on a regular basis, Rothstein said. dents are doing their part to alleviate hunger the children, most of whom live on the Nico Zimmerman said the visit left him among Santa Monica's homeless community. Westside. They see transients on Wilshire sad. "People could give a little more money Every Wednesday, students at Pluralistic Boulevard and at the beach. PS No. 1 class­ Cto the homeless]," he said, adding that he School No. 1 bring extra sack lunches to es regularly play and eat lunch at Memorial gives panhandlers any spare change he has. Park, and uneaten lunches are left for the He fired off other suggestions to help the school to donate to the Ocean Park Commu­ homeless. homeless: employment programs, "vacant nity Center, just seven blocks away. The Some of the homeless are probably just motel rooms-let them use them, an initia­ center in turn distributes the lunches to the lazy, students said. "But some Cwerel fired tive to give them more money." homeless. from their job through no failings of their His opinion on why they are homeless is The lunch program should serve as a model own," Casey said. He said that instead of strong and clear: "I think it's capitalism. A to other schools that are lookng to move food, he likes to bring shampoo, toothpaste lot of people are idiots, a lot of people are beyond holiday food drives to make an ongo­ or toothbrushes on Wednesdays, because greedy." ing commitment to improving the lives of the they last longer. "Communism would be better," he said. Homelessness could happen to anyone, Or at least, he quickly added, a combination less fortunate members of their community. children said. "It probably wasn't even their of "the best of both" capitalism and commu­ The students of PS No. 1 have shown that fault," said Danny Levene, 10. "They're reg­ nism. anyone with a sense of compassion and some ular people-with no money." Andersson said that, in discussing home­ initiative can help. No one need feel power­ "You see then in blankets, huddled in less people with her children, "I just try to less. doorways," he said. "It's just terrible to see make it clear it's just people-who're down Mr. Speaker, an article recently appeared in them." on their luck." The lunch project, she said, the Los Angeles Times which describes the "But you can understand that they'd go is "an extension of the way kids are treated nuts living like that," said Nico Zimmerman, program and the students' involvement in Cat PS No. ll. Kids are treated as individ­ 11. uals.... You don't put people down." greater detail. I ask that it be included in the On a recent Wednesday, it was Nico's turn "Elementary school is the time for kids to RECORD at this point. to visit the Ocean Park Community Center. learn about people who're different from [From the Los Angeles Times, June 14, At 9:15 a.m. Nico, his mother and 6-year-old themselves," PS No. 1 Director Joel Pel­ 1990] sister loaded the lunches into the family's cyger said. Toyota Land Cruiser for the seven-block He said that the school has had seven SCHOOL FULL OF COMPASSION juant from the school on Euclid Street to deaf students in classes with the hearing <By Barbara Koh) the center, at 7th Street and Colorado children. "If they're not exposed to people It's not on the scale of Comic Relief, but it Avenue. who are different, you're led to a lifetime of comes straight from the heart and the "We're vegetarian, but I put meat in it be­ prejudice," he said. kitchen cupboards. cause I figure they don't get much protein," Given those lessons, said Andersson, "I Every Wednesday morning, children at PS said Nico's mother, Joan Andersson, describ­ think it's hard for kids to [understand] how No. l, a small private school in Santa ing the sandwich she made that morning. you can just walk by" a homeless person. Monica, tote two sack lunches to school­ Typically, she said, she'll also pack fruit The 19-year-old school prides itself on its one for themselves and one for a homeless juice, chips, granola bars and extra canned community spirit. The students, who are person. They deposit the extra lunches into food. grouped by two-year age ranges rather than a crate at the school gate, then the food is The family carried in the lunch crate and in traditional classes, have cheered residents whisked to the nearby Ocean Park Commu­ two grocery bags stuffed with sacks, some of of retirement homes and have picked up nity Center by a parent and some students. them printed with whimsical penguins and garbage on beaches. A newspaper clipping The project is the brainstorm of the PS dirt bikes to appeal to children. In addition of "Top 10 Simple Things to Save the No. 1 Parents' Guild community services to the sandwiches, yogurt, trail mix and Earth" and a brochure outlining "Twelve committee, which wanted to go beyond holi­ apple juice, the contributions included a Steps to Personal and Planetary Health" day feeding programs, committee member batch of bran muffins and children's cloth­ adorn the bulletin board in the school Audrey Arlen said. ing. lobby. "We also wanted children to feel they par­ In the brightly lit center, lines of home­ The annual Jogathon/Bikeathon school ticipate in something in their everyJay less people snaked up to sleek counters to fund-raiser netted $4,800 in March, and lives," Arlen said. By helping to deliver the receive clothing, counseling, referrals to pupils decided to start giving money to com­ lunches, the students, ages 5 to 12, see that health clinics. assignments to shelters, and munity groups. The student council granted "what they're doing went to somebody-not lunches and provisions such as dried beans $1,200 to the Westside Children's Center for just, 'Oh, my mommy's writing a check." and peanut butter. Other people milled playground equipment, but not before grill­ The voluntary program was launched last about, chatting to themselves or to one an­ ing the center staff to see that the funds fall, and the response has been enthusiastic, other. Several stuffed their belongings in would directly benefit children rather than Arlen said. Parents clamored to be delivery tote bags or luggage carts. Their clothes adult bureaucrats. drivers, she said, and now, as the school were ill-fitting and worn, their hair and "The school is not a self-contained class­ year winds down, lunches continue to come beards scruffy. room," Pelcyger said. in at a rate of about 30 a week. Andersson crouched down to daughter "We live here, the [Ocean Park Communi­ The school, whose initials stand for "Plu­ Emma and explained that the homeless ty] Center is here, this is what we do," ralistic School," has 89 students. Arlen said could get showers and food there. Arlen said. that although some families have never con­ The center, a converted surgical-instru­ With the lunch program, she said, " the tributed a lunch, "every child is aware of ments factory, distributes food to 100 to 200 kids are aware, and they're aware on a con- e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 15718 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS June 26, 1990 tinuing basis. Community service has to be cause it provides for US-Soviet cooperation The May 30 attack is only the latest demon­ an ongoing commitment, not just when you in destroying their respective chemical­ stration that, despite Yasser Arafat's Decem­ get the guilt." weapons stocks. It is unique because both ber 1988 pledge to renounce terrorism, the superpowers agree to immediately stopping Mr. Speaker, the children at PS No. 1 PLO continues to sponsor terrorism. Further, should be proud of themselves for making a chemical-weapons production, thereby pro­ viding the best hope for a negotiated global Arafat's refusal to condemn the attack and very real difference in the daily lives of Santa ban.