MANHATTAN — With the federal government re-open, SNAP benefits in Montana are officially set to be issued as early as Saturday, according to the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
While those benefits will soon be back, the impacts on the community from the shutdown still linger.
That’s why the $2,500 two Manhattan High students won and are donating to the community is especially timely. $1,250 will be donated to Gallatin Valley Food Bank, while the other $1,250 will be donated to Manhattan Senior Center.
“I really love helping the community,” said Ethan Romero.
“I just found a sense of community within FCCLA,” said Brock Romero.
Ethan and Brock Romero are the two Manhattan High juniors behind the $1,250 donations. The brothers are part of FCCLA, which stands for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America. As Ethan explains, it is “a very heavily student-bound organization. We do a lot of community service; we do a lot of fundraising. There are projects that you compete at state with.”
Those FCCLA projects are what led Ethan and Brock to receive the grants they are donating to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and the Manhattan Senior Center.
“They identify a concern within the community and then they base an entire project off it,” said Amanda Swenson, FCCLA advisor for Manhattan High.
WATCH: Two Manhattan High brothers just donated $2,500 total to help fight food insecurity in their community
Swenson says Brock and Ethan both completed community-oriented projects for FCCLA last year. Ethan hosted a Thanksgiving meal for the Manhattan Senior Center.
“I have been wanting to do a Thanksgiving dinner at our senior center since my freshman year,” said Ethan. “We cooked, we prepared, we did everything for it.”
Brock planned the school’s annual swing dance to donate food to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. “Last year, we donated, like, 350 pounds of food to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank,” he said.
After completing their projects, Ethan and Brock applied for the Explore, Act, Tell program grant, which is funded by Albertson’s Nourishing Neighbors program.
“E.A.T. is all about addressing food insecurity within their local community,” said Swenson.
The grant is awarded to just 30 kids across the nation. Two of this year’s recipients: Manhattan’s very own Brock and Ethan.
“I was really shocked when there were a ton of applicants across the whole country, that those two managed to get selected based on their application and video,” said Swenson.
The two brothers had the option to choose where to donate the money and chose the organizations they worked with for their projects, one of which was the Manhattan Senior Center.
“I also heard they were struggling with money at the time, and I’m really happy to help,” said Ethan.
For the Manhattan Senior Center, it’s a meaningful donation, they say might go towards redecorating.
“The older people are getting more lonely and isolated as they get older, and being involved with young people is tremendous,” said Larry Vanover, who is on the board of directors for Manhattan Senior Center.
For Brock and Ethan, it’s an accomplishment they are proud to receive together.
“I’m glad I can share this moment with him,” said Ethan.
