Extravagant celebrations of the wintertime holidays are something that most Berkeley High School students have become accustomed to. Big holiday meals, specifically, are a crucial tradition for many families. In reality, many Berkeley residents who live off of unstable incomes or are unhoused don’t get the privilege of having abundant holiday meals. This is why BHS hosts an annual free Holiday Meal, serving those who can’t afford this luxury on their own.
BHS’ annual Holiday Meal is “warm, welcoming, and humbling,” Brooks Trotmore, a BHS senior and the Chief of Service, said. “The goal of the Holiday Meal event is to provide unhoused and home/food insecure people with the luxury of a festive holiday event as well as many essential items like winter clothing and hygiene products,” Trotmore continued.
The meal will take place on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in the BHS cafeteria. The event, which is expected to have over 200 volunteers, including adult chefs, student and parent volunteers, translators, and servers, will provide food, warm clothing, and non-perishables to unhoused and home- or food-insecure people. “The event is also beneficial to the volunteers and contributors of the event,” Trotmore said, “Oftentimes, we forget that these things aren’t guaranteed and that not everyone gets them. Giving back to the community and serving people who don’t have the same privileges as we do is an extremely important experience for every young person, I believe. It gives us this gratitude that makes us appreciate what we often take for granted.”
What sets the BHS annual Holiday Meal apart from a regular day at a soup kitchen are its choir, festive decorations, and the fact that it’s a school-run event. “I’ve worked at many schools for 31 years, and this is the only high school I’ve worked at that does anything like this,” Karl Kaku, a BHS English teacher, said, “When I first heard we had a holiday meal, well, one, it surprised me and two, it was very exciting to see that I work in a school that’s willing to give to its community. Also, as a teacher, I love that it gives me an opportunity to see young people I work with in a different capacity. We’re not in a classroom, we’re actually out there doing something that’s good for humanity.” The planning behind the event was organized by student volunteers like Trotmore and Director of Student Activities John Villavicencio, alongside volunteers from the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley. The Holiday Meal is expected to serve 200 to 300 meals to people in need.
The supplies for the meal are currently being gathered through donation drives where items such as hygiene supplies, non-perishable food, and winter coats can be donated. Clothes from BHS’ reuse center, which have been donated by BHS families, will also be given out. While the donation drives are sourcing some of the supplies, the Holiday Meal committee is also planning on buying a lot of the supplies, such as underwear and non-perishable food, which will be distributed during the event in bulk, as well as the ingredients and supplies to make the food that will be served.