These North Salinas High School students are selling cookie dough to raise money for Covid relief.

These North Salinas High School students are selling cookie dough to raise money for Covid relief.

Good morning. 

Celia Jiménez here, remembering how I used to celebrate Easter as a kid. No, I didn’t hunt for eggs, but instead spent the day swimming and playing at a warm beach in San Blas, Mexico with my family (I have a ton of cousins). 

Unfortunately, this type of reunion is on hold for now, since large gatherings still aren’t possible. But these restrictions haven't stopped a group of students from North Salinas High School from getting together—at least virtually—to organize a fundraiser for Covid-19 relief. 

The Junior State of America at North Salinas High, a grassroots youth organization, is very active on campus. They’ve put on a lot of different events, including the Know Your Rights campaign for undocumented immigrants and a dialogue with the Salinas Police Department about how officers have engaged with the community and addressed the national conversation on police brutality.

“We empower young people to go and make change in their communities,” JSA president Michael Ndubisi says. This fundraising campaign, he adds, is one project that is doing just that. 

This is JSA’s second round of fundraising for Covid relief. The first round started about a year ago, when the high school stopped in-person learning. “We were sitting around and looking at all the things that were happening in the world,” Ndubisi says. “What can we do in a time of such distress to make things better?” 

So JSA raised $2,000 and collected donations of scarce items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer, then distributed it among several organizations such as The Salvation Army, Rotary International and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation.

This time, instead of asking for money, the club is selling cookie dough. Ndubisi says they want to give people an incentive. Several members of JSA are minorities, including Ndubisi, and they want to make sure communities of color get the help they need since they’ve been the most impacted by the pandemic. To be more effective, Ndubisi says this time JSA will split the funds they raise between the California Community Foundation and other local organizations in Monterey County.

JSA partnered with ABC Fundraising, a platform many students use to raise funds for their clubs. They went the online route to comply with physical distancing guidelines. “We want to make sure we’re not spreading anything,” Ndubisi says, “and we’re keeping all of our fundraisers safe.” 

Ndubisi says organizing these fundraisers has been a transformative experience for some students, who now feel emboldened to make a difference. So far JSA has raised $300, and they are hoping they will surpass last year’s proceeds and help communities in need. The cookie dough sale started on March 15 and runs until May 14. 

For my part, I am enjoying my Sunday and taking a moment to remember previous Easter celebrations, and debating whether to order chunky chocolate chip cookie dough or caramel pecan chocolate chip cookie dough. Or maybe both?

-Celia Jiménez, staff writer, celia@mcweekly.com