Trinity Educational Center struggles with funding

To the Editor:

Last year, the South Burlington School District could not participate in the summer meal program. Trinity Educational Center Inc. stepped in and prepared over 300 meals weekly. The South Burlington Rotary Club donated funds so the center could begin preparing meals instead of being forced to wait for U.S. Department of Agriculture funding.

I am unsure if the school district will be allowed to participate in the summer meal program. Trinity Educational Center cannot provide summer meals in the quantity of last year with an identical small kitchenette and small appliances, donated by a Rotarian.

We are holding several fundraisers: Selling T-shirts May 19-31, holding a car wash May 27, South Burlington High School, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and hosting a special dinner on June 2. We hope these three fundraisers are successful, which means we should be able to operate for two weeks.

Those two weeks include serving breakfast and lunch — 20 meals for five days — for 10 youth who will be attending Infinite and five lunches for drop-in youth.

Based on those calculations Trinity Educational Center would be preparing 125 meals a week, which is significant, especially if we do not qualify for the USDA program. We must modify the meals; the youth will eat breakfast at home and lunch and a snack at Infinite.

As of today, for summer break we can only provide food and activities for one day. A possible outcome is Trinity Educational Center will not be able to operate Infinite’s summer program. We cannot allow youth to attend on a set schedule when we cannot provide food. Also, we would not have daily activities for the youth, especially painting and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) projects.

Operating a small nonprofit organization that focuses on marginalized students is not easy. I am one person required to operate in a silo because of my position as a former South Burlington School Board member and chair, and community leader. I fought for equity and inclusion for our students and still, now, I fight and continue to be racially harassed.

People do not want to donate to Trinity Educational Center because of me, its founder, the mouth that could and will not be tamed. It is disappointing and unfair that our kids are being held accountable for my positive actions, and who are still academically and socially struggling because of COVID-19.

Data support that youth who are hungry and unsupervised have a higher probability of alcohol and drug abuse. Infinite would have been a place of safety while parents are working.

As long as I can, I will continue working an extra job to take care of our youth (my babies). They deserve the best of what this world has to offer, and I will unceasingly do what I can to help them excel.

Dr. Travia Childs

Founder and executive director, Trinity Educational Center