Help 'Kids Helping Kids' With Food, Sports Gear Donations

GUILFORD, CT — The Community Integration Mentoring Program founded and captained by Guilford High School senior Gabriela Garcia-Perez, who is just weeks away from graduation, is a “kids helping kids" initiative.

Called C.I.M.P., its mission it says is “focused towards providing mostly middle-school New Haven English Language Learners the chance to develop their English by interacting with students from neighboring communities to encourage them to become active members of society. As a result, this program also has the ability to build multicultural bridges and close gaps between various communities.”

C.I.M.P. focuses, but is not limited, to working with middle school-age New Haven English Language Learners. The essence of C.I.M.P. is the concept of “kids helping kids” and empowering each other to become active in their communities, the process inevitably helps to build connections between the students from various communities.

On a weekly basis, students are provided with a personalized lesson plans that work to specifically develop each child and demonstrate the importance of community involvement. And with COVID-19 shuttering in-person tutoring, it has continued online.

But the group does a lot more.

For the past month, Garcia-Perez said, C.I.M.P. has recruited people to donate groceries to those in need in the Greater New Haven area. In the first two weeks of the initiative, nearly $1,600 worth of groceries were donated. This past week C.I.M.P. coordinated a stay-in-your-car food drive with Everson Soccer Association and donated about 1,200 pounds of food and $500 worth of grocery gift cards to two New Haven organizations.

Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., C.I.M.P. and the Soccer Club of Guilford will hold another stay-in-your-car food drive and athletic gear collection in the Calvin Leete Elementary School parking lot.

Non-perishable foods including canned meats and fish, rice, pasta, cereal dry and canned beans, peanut butter, canned vegetables, potatoes, corn and all-purpose flour, and cooking oil. Grocery store gift cards are also needed.

Gently used soccer gear including cleats, gloves, shin guards, shorts and related athletic gear is also needed.

All items will be donated to Hope House in New Haven.