On January 10, Líderes Campesinas hosted its monthly food drive at St. John the Evangelist Parish Hall in Wasco. The event began at 7 a.m., and vehicles lined up around the building throughout the morning, reflecting the strong demand for food assistance in the community.
Líderes Campesinas organizes a food drive each month, alternating locations between Wasco and Shafter. At the Wasco distribution, families received fresh produce, canned goods, and small gifts for children.
“This is a great help during tough times,” said Yesenia Acosta, an organizer for Líderes Campesinas. “The community’s need is apparent.”
Volunteers from Wasco High School and members of the local church assisted with the event, helping distribute food and direct traffic. One of the volunteers and sponsors for the event was Strata Credit Union. The credit union has sponsored one food distribution with the organization, but has worked with Líderes Campesinas in the past to provide financial literacy workshops to the Wasco community.
Community Outreach Officer for Strata Credit Union, Jai Gutierrez noted the significant role Líderes Campesinas plays in providing food assistance to farmworking families.
“It’s been amazing seeing their growth in the community. They’ve been such a support for those in need, especially our farm workers here. It’s important to support our rural communities,” said Gutierrez.
Through the financial literacy workshop hosted in partnership with the organization, she recognized how important and beneficial it was to provide this type of education.
“It’s something that’s not really taught in the education system. It’s not information that is generally given,” noted Gutierrez.
Gilbert Reyna, former mayor of Wasco and current city councilmember, as well as a volunteer at Wasco’s local church, spoke about the importance of the food distributions.
“Doing this is not something new to me. We have had food distributions at the Catholic Church before, and we did it for multiple months. The reason we do it is that I personally recognize the need for families to have additional food to put on the table,” said Reyna.
Reyna’s contributions in supporting and providing aid to his constituents have not gone unnoticed. His position within the church has allowed him to work with individuals from different communities and areas.
He also mentioned that by working directly with leaders of the religious education classes and collaborating with the high school, a majority of students volunteer to aid their community during these food distributions.
Teen Miss Kern County 2025, Liliana Sanchez, was part of the influx of teenage volunteers handing out food resources. Sanchez is part of the Wasco community, having lived there her entire life. Her reason for being part of the event was to show her community that she enjoys showing up and giving back.
“I’m here to show my community that I love being involved in local events and that I love serving, helping, and giving back,” said Sanchez.
Although food is donated by an organization called Food Forward, Líderes Campesinas is still required to pay for shipment services, which organizers say cost approximately $1,250 per food drive. In order to continue feeding roughly 600 families, Líderes Campesinas asks anyone interested in donating to contact Yesenia Acosta directly at 661-438-6254 or visit their website at https://liderescampesinas.org/.