Over the past few months, the nation has been riding an economic roller coaster that may bottom out as one of the worst financial crises in our history. People are watching their investments, their retirement accounts and their mortgages, with dismay. Whether you're filling your gas tank or juggling your stock portfolio, everyone is feeling the pinch.

For those of us who are used to living in some degree of comfort and confidence, this may be an eye-opening experience. But for many people in our community, this is just another day in the life of poverty.

The Santa Fe Public School District serves many of the most at-risk children in the area. The number of students living in poverty in Santa Fe's public schools is increasing. In 2001-02, 50 percent of students qualified for the free and reduced-price lunch program. Last school year, the number had risen to 64 percent.

According to Gaile Herling of the Adelante Program for Homeless Students, last year the program identified 750 students as homeless. The average age was 9 years old. And that's just the students the program was able to identify. Adelante estimates that another 200 homeless students have not been identified. (Many older children, especially in middle and high school, work hard to hide their homelessness.)

This situation creates a vicious cycle. Education is widely considered a key to ending poverty, yet living in poverty has a negative impact on a child's education. Herling notes that homeless students go to the school nurse more with stomachaches, headaches and stress-related illnesses. They often don't eat except for food provided at school. (Some SFPS schools now offer breakfast as well as lunch.) Although they are often very smart, they usually don't do well on standardized tests.

Instead of focusing on schoolwork, they are using their brain power to figure out how to survive. They are often caretakers for younger siblings, and sometimes even for parents.

Even — especially — in economic times like these, there is much that can be done to help. Herling suggests several things that we can do:

• Donate food to Adelante's food pantry.

• Most winter-coat drives are held at Christmastime. But the weather is changing, and children need coats now. Donate a coat — new or in excellent condition. Even better, hold a coat/food drive at your school or office.

• Also needed are new shoes, socks, underwear, and hygiene products including new soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, combs and brushes.

The Adelante office is in the BF Young Building, 1300 Camino Sierra Vista.

Please call 467-2524 first to ensure that someone will be there to receive your donation.

Ruthanne Greeley is executive director, Partners in Education Foundation for the Santa Fe Public Schools. Founded in 1988, Partners in Education works to improve the quality of public school education by linking the community with its schools. For more information, contact 474-0240 or rgreeley@sfpartnersineducation.org. Correspondence can be sent to: Partners in Education Foundation, PO Box 23374, Santa Fe, NM 87502.