HHS Senior Provides Lunch and Encouragement In A Stressful Situation

Harrison High School senior Alycia Pascual-Pena is the type of student who looks for a ray of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy setting. As part of her IB Diploma candidate activities, she decided to provide brown bag lunches for children visiting their mothers at the Bedford Correctional Facility.

She was also adamant about normalizing a taboo subject that has so many implications for families and communities and wanted to create a conversation with her peers about the difficulties children face when they are separated from a parent due to incarceration.

She gathered about 25 of her schoolmates who were excited to help and they provided 45 lunches of a turkey and cheese sandwich, chips, cookies and an apple. Inside the lunch, the students wrote inspirational cards with uplifting messages such as “keep your head up” and “someone is thinking of you” for both the adults and the children.

“This is one of the most stressful situations I could imagine and I wanted there to be a positive light in the room,” she said. “If families can gather around to talk during a meal, that might help lift the burden they feel.”

“We can make a difference in a small way by making someone else’s day better.”