because that's power down time. damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today the need is still great. the second harvest food bank joins us on "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 abercap.com damian: and we begin today with our children returning to school. most of them are at this point, but there are a lot of things to think about once they do that. that's why we brought in carmen barcena. she is an expert. she's a counselor at notre dame high school in san jose. carmen, welcome to the show. welcome back. carmen barcena: thank you, damian. how are you? damian: i'm doing well.

thank you. [speaking foreign language] so how are-- you've had kids at your school back for a few weeks now. mentally, how are they coping with everything that they've gone through over the last year? carmen: well, it has been a very difficult journey for the students and also the parents. we have decided to bring some of the students that were struggling a lot being at home because, you know, it's different, especially adolescents are in a very crucial moment where they have to socialize, and they have been precluded to socialize at home. they don't have their friends. they cannot see family members. they cannot see cousins and grandparents. so they have been struggling with a lot of anxiety and depression. parents too. unfortunately, we have to manage, you know, a school at home and our work. so all these amount to a big kind of pressure cooker at home

that we have to manage, and all of us have to be watching each other on how the behavior in our kids are changing because we have found that depression is one of the main diagnoses right now on a student. damian: well, you're dealing with high school students there, but i'm sure this is true of every grade level. what i tell my daughter, carmen is, "you know what? take a break, mija. look out the-- sit at the table. look out the window. just stare at the flowers and at the trees for five minutes. close your eyes, and then get back to work. you can't spend your entire time in front of the screen 'cause that's just gonna drive everybody crazy. carmen: that is the best advice. i think having the kids going also to the sunshine a little bit is helpful for them. having a conversation with you, as the parent, that doesn't involve, you know, "how are you grades? how is class?" let them explore other conversations with you about maybe a movie they watch,

maybe a song they're listening that they like. also, they have to see that you are working, too, and that your and how they can cooperate together at home. we know, but makes us-- kind of united us in the solution of being better, healthy. i told my kids, you know, sometimes rub your hands and put them on your eyes so they can rest a little bit. we promote using the blue lenses for the screen because, yes, they spend too much time watching the screen now, so it is essential that they have them. damian: and even, carmen, when they return back to school, they're in the classroom. it's not the same. it's not normal. they're wearing their masks. there is plastic partitions on their desks. they have to be, you know-- 3 to 6 feet apart now

is what the cdc is recommending. so even in the classroom, there is still another thing unexpected that awaits them once they're in there. carmen: yeah, it is-- you know, i had the opportunity to kind of test the hybrid labs that the schools are planning to do, and it was hard. as an adult, i was having to look at the screen where my classmates were having class, because they were home, and also interact with my classmates that they were on the classroom, physical classroom, and it was too much action at the same time, so i feel sorry for the kids that, you know, don't have that kind of maturity to interact with so many things at the same time. so it is a challenge. so i ask the kids, you know, "be patient with yourself, you know. know that everybody's going through the same, and ask your teacher for help. reach out to the adults that are helping you, and everybody, you know, will be more than happy to help the

students succeed in their academic journey. damian: everybody needs a pause, verdad? whether because the parents, they're the teachers at home. the teachers, now they're having to teach lessons on video and live, and it's different lesson plans, so they're under stress, and everybody, i guess, just needs to take a deep breath and realize that it is what it is, and let's make the most of it. carmen: yeah, i think, you know, the teachers definitely have been doing just an amazing job. i take my hat for them. they are, you know, excellent professionals, and i think we need to understand their position, but also, you know, try to use this opportunity to grow. it is a challenge, but we use challenges to be better in the future, and the kids have learned so much, you know. they have learned to use two computers at the same time, to use their phone also as our camera/video,

as a recorder, so these are opportunities to grow, and we have to teach them that even though it's a difficult time, we have to be positive because, otherwise, we cannot continue the path that is ahead of us, that we don't know what is gonna happen, right? so trying to, you know, excel in what we have but also be positive all the time. damian: very great advice, carmen. you're absolutely correct. we're so glad to have you on our show and talk about this and just relieve some of that stress. thank you so much. carmen: thank you for the invitation. damian: thank you. and up next on "comunidad del valle," the second harvest food bank, stay with us. oh, you think this is just a community center? no. it's way more than that. cause when you hook our community up with the internet... boom! look at ariana, crushing virtual class. jamol, chasing that college dream. michael, doing something crazy. this is the place where we can show the world what we can do. comcast is partnering with 1000 community centers to create wifi-enabled lift zones,

so students from low-income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. oh we're ready. ♪ ♪ damian: well, the need is still great all around the country, especially at the second harvest food bank here in the bay area. with me now is blanca garza jacobs, my old colleague who is with the second harvest food bank, and also susan castellanos, who is one of the clients of second harvest. welcome to the show, ladies. blanca garza jacobs: thank you so much for having us, damian.

damian: thank you. so let's start with you, blankita. tell us how big the need is right now. i know it's been a year or more since the pandemic. what have you seen so far at second harvest? blanca: it's been amazing. the need, it's been amazing for sure. we haven't seen a drop since pandemic started last year, and we doubled the people that we served. we haven't seen a drop yet. as a matter of fact, it's been very, very consistent, but definitely due to the high cost of living in silicon valley, many of our community members were already struggling to afford rent and to pay for food and, of course, other expenses before pandemic, but since the pandemic hit, second harvest of silicon valley has been serving, as i mentioned before, 500,000 people per month, and that's like feeding the city of sacramento every month, so it's a lot of people. pre-pandemic, we were serving about 250,000 people per month,

which was already more people than ever before in our history, damian. damian: wow, that's pretty incredible and so sad to see, but it's good to see that there's agencies like yours there. but i might go to susan now. i'm asking--to unmute, susan, if you can, so we can talk to you. but if you can, susan, tell us. you're a single mom here in san jose. tell us how difficult things are when it comes to paying the rent and putting food on the table. susan castellanos: it was a lot harder until second harvest came to our lives. it was a blessing to have them. it was a blessing that my mom decided to go and pick up some food from there, from them, and it was amazing. since then, we feel like we are blessed like every week to be

able to have the amount of food that they provide us. it's amazing that-- you know, without them, i don't think we were going to be able to survive, you know? damian: wow. blanca: yes, it's tough. susan: yeah. damian: and you're asking people, susan, to not be ashamed to ask for help, right? if they need help, go out and get it because the help is there. susan: yes, yeah, i ask, invite all the people to, please, don't be ashamed, you know. or maybe they're not the ones that needs, but if they know somebody that needs that help of food, it will be good if they know second harvest to share, you know, and have them go and get what they need,

which is food, and what they provide is amazing. so, as well as myself, i feel good to have that, to have--sorry. i got lost. damian: that's okay. it's good to have that helping hand. blankita, and it's probably great to hear stories like that from families that need the help, are seeking the help, and are appreciative of the fact that you are there to help. blanca: well, and, basically, because we don't ask for anything. we don't ask you for proof of income. we don't ask you for a proof of job. so, i mean, immigration status, none of that matters. the only thing that we care about is that you have food in your household. and so the only thing we ask you is just come to us. go to our website. look for the nearest distribution center from your house, and the only thing you have to do is just

open the trunk. we will provide the boxes of food. you don't even have to take off your mask. you don't even have to shake anybody's hand--nothing. just come, pop up that trunk. we'll put the boxes in the trunk of your car, and then you go home, and you feed your family. we are gonna provide you for 50% of produce, 25% of protein and other things that your family is gonna need. this is nutritious food. this is good food that you're gonna need. and maybe you already have the job that you lost before pandemic, i mean, when pandemic started, or you're receiving a little bit more income. it doesn't matter. you can keep coming with us. you still come to us and save that money that you were spending for your food and pay a bill. pay something that's been, you know, late, or pay somebody that maybe you borrowed money. just utilize this tool for you to just be fed and have food in your household all the time, no matter what. damian: oh, this help is great

not only for nutrition but mentally. it's gotta really help mentally, people knowing that there is that help there. again, that's the second harvest food bank, silicon valley and across the bay area. for more information, you can log on to their website there on the screen, and the 800 number is also there. the food is there. the need is there. maybe you can donate. we'll talk about that in our next segment, so stay with us. ♪♪♪ is your family ready for an emergency? you can prepare by mapping out two ways to escape your home,

creating a supply kit, and including your whole family in practice drills. for help creating an emergency plan, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com

a little preparation will make you and your family safer in an emergency. a week's worth of food and water, radio, flashlight, batteries and first aid kit are a good start to learn more, visit damian: we're back here onom "comunidad del valle," talking about the second harvest food bank, and susan explained to us about how big the need is batteries and first aid kit are a good start on a personal basis. but the need is also for donations, right, blankita? because, if you don't have the donors, you don't have the food to give away. talk about the need for donors. blanca: exactly, basically, you said it right. we need more donations, financial donations. right now we're not accepting food, per se, physical cans and stuff like that in our warehouse

because of pandemic and because we need to follow protocol, but we are receiving monetary donations. so if you want to do that, that will be greatly appreciated. we also need volunteers to help us in our distribution centers, so if you have some time during the week, during the weekend, and if you wanna help us continue with this help to our community, please go to our website and see where can you go in times. it will be amazing to have you and help us. damian: that's wonderful. susan, if it wasn't for second harvest food bank--what? tell us what it would mean to your family. susan: will be a hard time for us because, without them, it was hard, you know, but especially for our family, as big as the one that i have,

the amount of food we spend every month or every week, it was big, so now, thanks to second harvest, we are not spending that money anymore because we have their help. so it is amazing. please don't hesitate. go. they don't ask for anything. they don't ask for any income or anything like that. the amount of money you're gonna save on food is going to be helpful for you because maybe your kid needs a pair of shoes or a uniform for their back-to-school now, and you can have the money that you were gonna spend on food, because you have to the second harvest help, and get those shoes or uniforms for your kids. so it's amazing. damian: that's a great point.

but it's sad to see you drive around town, and you see the long lines of cars at the church or at a community center, ready to get their donations, but, hey, that's why the second harvest is there. they're there to help. and susan, you said you loved what is in the box that you get, the nutritious foods that you're getting inside your meal box. susan: yes, it's amazing, you know. my mom likes to make tortillas, those tortillas a mano, so there-- blanca: hambre. susan: there is a box with one of these big companies, mejicano, i think, and they have those big bags of flour to make tortillas, so, oh, my god, my son loves grandma's tortillas, so that's where my mom makes tortillas-- and then cucumbers, and then the carrots are amazing.

you know, those different colored carrots are yummy. damian: oh, that's great. it's great that everything is nutritious that you're getting there. blankita, give us your final thoughts you want us to-- what information should our viewers know? blanca: yeah, go to our website and call that number on that screen, and please reach out. you need food? we'll come to you if you can't come to us. maybe you are disabled. maybe you're afraid just to go out. maybe you are sick right now. we can provide that food to your door. and so don't hesitate. some way, somehow, we'll get that food to you, and i just wanna thank susan. she's so gracious thanking us, but we wanna thank her as well for counting on us, for thinking of us,she is, single mom, has her, you know, business at home. she's got a one-bedroom apartment with mom and dad and two sons-- you know, daughter and a son, so thank you, susan. thank you so much for everything that you provide to us as well.

and thank you, damian. damian: oh, gracias. thank you both very much for being on the show and for sharing that great information to our viewers. thank you so much. blanca: absolutely. susan: thank you. damian: all right, and you saw that on the screen. you saw the information for second harvest food bank. they are across the bay area. there's a web address and the phone number. we'll be back here on "comunidad del valle" with another short interview. stay with us. ♪♪♪

this california family is on the job helping our state's recovery. you see by keeping their vacation in california they're supporting our local businesses and communities. so you could say every juice box enjoyed on our beaches is also bringing nourishment to our state's economy. that's the taste of recovery. calling all californians. keep your vacation here and help our state get back to work. and please travel responsibly. [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language]

[speaking foreign language] and help our state get back to work. [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] damian: thank you to my brothers, los tigres del norte, for that fabulous promo encouraging people to remember to vaccinate. on a personal note, i received my second moderna vaccine this past thursday, and so i am fully vaccinated. hopefully, we can all feel the same way and get out of this crazy pandemic. the sooner the better. well, if you wanna get ahold of us, you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. also, on instagram, it's @newsdamiantrujillo. you can also pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area.

we're gonna leave you now with another short interview with los cenzontles. we'll see you again joined by eugene rodriguez of los cenzontles. eugene, welcome back to the show. eugene rodriguez: it's great to be here. damian: thank you for being here. now, you have a-- i saw a clip of your documentary that we're pushing today. tell us who it is that's in it, why it was shot, and the whole premise behind it. eugene: well, my wife, maria sage, she's a art teacher at our cultural arts academy, los cenzontles, and she was taking a trip to yucatan, mexico, to study mayan embroidery as part of a sabbatical, and she decided to invite two of her students, two 15-year-old girls, and when they were going, i said, "well, why don't you record the trip on some video equipment, like, just hand video equipment, inexpensive?" and she said, "fine," and so we trained everybody just kind of on the basics of the mid-shot and the close-up and

the wide shot, and they came back with just the most wonderful material, and we ended up editing it into a kind of a travelogue but also a reflection on tradition and just the experience they had. damian: we do have some clip of that, and we're gonna play about six minutes of that documentary in our last segment, but can you imagine, eugene, what those two young students, what they are left with, not only after making that trip but coming home, having documented it? eugene: well, i think what it does for them is really gives them confidence in their ability to tell their story, and i think that's really important. a lot of times, young people, they consume a lot of media, but they don't really make media at that level. i mean, of course, people do their posts on social media, but this is something much more reflective, much more expansive of what they're seeing,

and i think another really important part of that trip was that it really reinforced their cultural heritage because here they are visiting these wonderful mayan families in yucatan, all of whom are, like, involved with the creation of art, and when they saw how integrated art-making was in the community, they reflect on art in their own life, and the two girls, in particular, for example, isabel and jocelyn, they have grandmothers who sew and crochet and all that back in mexico, and i think they really learned to value just how important that kind of activity is throughout the course of a person's life but also the meaning that it has to the family. damian: did you learn something? i mean, me, just-- we're looking at some images right now. i'm learning something just by watching what they did. did you learn something from their trip? eugene: well, i learned that, you know, what's most important is. really. not, like, having the most expensive equipment or the most intensive planning.

i think the most important is-- the thing about storytelling is really capturing a glimpse of authenticity. no matter how you get it, you wanna record it well, but what's most important is the story, and i think that's something that resonates, especially in the time of covid, you know? 'cause we're all cooped up, and we're trying to stay connected somehow, and we all can stay connected. we just need to have that confidence to tell our story. damian: and every image that we're seeing here, eugene, it's color. i mean, color is everywhere from the mandiles, to the dresses, to the decor of the restaurants that they visited. color seems like it plays a big role in the mayan influence. eugene: yeah, and, you know, the day after they returned home from that trip, california shut down for the pandemic, and so my wife, you know, it was quite a shock because, in yucatan, the families were so generous of inviting these

visitors into their home and being part of this exchange, so when she got back, the day after, you know, we all had to kind of hunker down, and it's really those colors and the warmth of the hospitality of these folks who invited them in that really kept us motivated and kept us feeling warm from that experience. and i mean, at the same time that the cultural exchange that took place there, you know, i don't know what the mayans and the yucatecos can learn from those two young ladies, but i'm sure that there was a cultural exchange that took place. eugene: well, it's interesting because there was a moment after the first workshop. they went to a bunch of different pueblos and different homes, and after the first workshop, my wife realized that it was kind of a lecture demo. they would go into a home, and the people, the family, the mayan families, would basically demonstrate

while the participants who were on the tour would watch, and my wife suggested to the organizer, "do you think it's okay if we make this more hands-on, that we actually can interact and we can try, and we can do that?" and immediately, the dynamic of the entire trip changed, not only for the people who were the participants of the trip but the families too. they felt much more fluid. they felt much more that it was an exchange, and i think that's really an important part of culture, that it's not just a spectator sport. you know, we're all part of it. damian: it seemed like they took a cinematographer with them because you mentioned the wide shots, the tight shots, the reaction shots. they're all there. you don't see somebody with a lot of headroom in any of these shots. it looks like it's professionally done. eugene: yes, well, my wife, you know, shot her part on the iphone, and she's been by my side for over 30 years--

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[music playing] i'm sara gore, and this is "open house." this week designers and architects share their stylish solutions for getting the most out of every square inch of a small space. we're in soho in manhattan to learn how to live smarter and smaller from an entrepreneur's perspective. and we're in the city of brotherly love for a modern take on a classic rowhouse. stylish stager cheryl eisen invites plus we're in chelsea, to check out how one architect subverted the classic studio apartment. but first, loft living la style with designer gabrielle aker. for some, designing a loft could be very daunting.

but for me, i was very excited about the challenge. welcome to my home. [theme music]