SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A West Side after-school program that 150-plus children rely on each week may not be able to reopen unless new funding arrives \u2014 putting tutoring, food support and a safe haven for teens in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
Harper\u2019s Chapel Ministries was empty this week on a day when students would normally be on campus for summer programming. <\/p>\n
The ministry, which has expanded its youth programs since 2023, said it does not currently have enough funding to open its teen enrichment programs.<\/p>\n
The programs include kids from the poorest ZIP code in San Antonio, explained Hannah Zertuche, the education director for Harper\u2019s Chapel Ministries. <\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of our kids come and see this as a place of refuge,\u201d Zertuche said.<\/p>\n
The ministry\u2019s after-school program offers homework help, tutoring and other support. Two staff and 15 volunteers also help families with hygiene products, clothing and food when needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur kids come for after-school program, which essentially we\u2019re just helping them with their homework, tutoring, all of that,\u201d Zertuche said. \u201cAnd then we also help them with hygiene. If they need hygiene products, clothes, food for their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program operates out of portable buildings at Harper\u2019s Chapel Ministries. Zertuche said it costs about $10,000 a month to keep the program and church running, including insurance, building costs and supplies for the children.<\/p>\n
The ministry has two full-time staff members and 15 volunteers who are fundraising to secure enough funds to keep the program open steadily for at least two months at a time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t get that consistent funding, then we\u2019ll have to close for weeks at a time,\u201d Zertuche said. \u201cIn the past we\u2019ve had to close for a month just so we can rebuild funding before we can open up again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zertuche said the program is about more than education and basic needs. She said staff members build relationships with students and often become trusted adults in their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re essentially like second parents to a lot of our kiddos,\u201d she said. \u201cIf they\u2019re just needing a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to, then we\u2019re always here and available.\u201d<\/p>\n
Program leaders said teens who started in the program are on track to graduate, and some who were at risk of gang involvement have stayed away because of the support they received.<\/p>\n