Before moving to Santa Fe, I lived in Washington, D.C. Sometimes I had to literally walk over or around homeless people on the sidewalks. It was a daily occurrence, and eventually, I'm sorry to admit, I just stopped seeing them.

In postcard-pretty Santa Fe, most of us don't see the homeless very often. They're not sleeping on sidewalk grates to keep warm, as they do in a big city. Maybe we think about them at Thanksgiving, donate to a food pantry or volunteer to serve a meal. But after the holidays are over, the issue doesn't disappear. And this year's unusually warm winter weather, while kinder to those without shelter, doesn't feed hungry stomachs.

The Adelante Program has been serving homeless school-age children and their families for six years. Program coordinator Gaile Herling says that 668 Santa Fe public-school students, plus 165 siblings, have been identified as homeless so far this year, and she expects that number to reach 1,000 by the end of July.

Many of those students and their families are hungry. Each week, Adelante provides food for up to 200 people. This year, Herling says, the program has regularly run out of items in the Food Pantry. It is holding a food drive to meet the demand. You can help fill the nearly bare shelves with nonperishable items. Suggested donations:

• Powdered milk, canned milk

• Soups, canned stews

• Rice, pasta, dried beans

• Dried fruit, canned fruit, nuts

• Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce

• Cereal, oatmeal, granola bars

• Canned meats, tuna

Throughout the year, the Adelante Program also provides backpacks, school supplies, school clothing, children's books, art classes, sports and games, tutoring, case management, advocacy in the schools and community, free hot meals cooked by volunteers, weekly evening programs for families, health education for parents, and more.

Donations for the Food Pantry can be brought to Adelante or Partners in Education, both at the BF Young Building, 1300 Camino Sierra Vista, on weekdays. Please call before coming to ensure someone will be there to accept your donation. Contact Loretta at Adelante, 467-2524, or Partners in Education at 474-0240.

Come on by, and B.Y.O.T. — bring your own tuna!

Ruthanne Greeley is the executive director of Partners in Education Foundation for the Santa Fe Public Schools. Contact her at 474-0240 or rgreeley@sfpartnersineducation.org, or visit the Web site, www.sfpartnersineducation.org. Correspondence can be sent to: Partners in Education Foundation, PO Box 23374, Santa Fe, NM 87502.