The holidays are a time when people gather with loved ones and celebrate abundance, but when California’s most vulnerable young people aren’t going to school because they are on break, it means even more uncertainty over where to find food. And that leads to even greater risk.

That’s the finding of a coalition of Orange County nonprofits that is tracking 500 at-risk youths to better understand what they need to live more stable lives and steer clear of abusive situations.

The collaboration uses a new tool for digital case management, research and prevention, developed by EverFree, which supports human trafficking survivors, in partnership with UC Irvine. It allows the nonprofits to collect information from young people, ranging from those in elementary or middle school to 24-year-olds.

Almost half the students tracked with the digital tool, who were referred by social-work case managers, said they aren’t living a healthy lifestyle, the nonprofits said. One in 5 said they often don’t know how they’ll eat and one-third said they struggle with mental and emotional well-being.

All of the participants come from families that are either unhoused, living in temporary housing such as motels or sharing crowded dwellings with multiple, unrelated families, said Shelby Feliciano-Sabala, a social worker who is chief partnership officer at Project Hope Alliance, a nonprofit that helps children experiencing homeless. The organization is working on the project with EverFree and Stand Up for Kids Orange County.

School can be much more than a place to learn, Feliciano-Sabala said.

“Youth experiencing homelessness get a sense of belonging, safety and routine when they’re at school,” she said. “When you don’t have that routine, and you don’t have access to that food, that disrupts your regular life.”

When already-vulnerable youths undergo even more uncertainty about getting food, there is often someone waiting to exploit that situation by luring them into coerced labor and sex work or subjecting them to gender-based violence, said Kelsey Morgan, co-founder and chief executive officer of EverFree.

“We’ve heard stories from many of our other partners of youth who run away and are approached by a trafficker who simply offers a McDonald’s cheeseburger,” Morgan said.

Feliciano-Sabala said she’s heard of traffickers winning over young people with a gift as meager as a bag of Takis rolled tortilla chips.

“Food insecurity is actually resulting in runaway situations where kids are so desperate that any person willing to offer them something small is winning their trust,” she said.

Feliciano-Sabala said private nonprofits represent “critical infrastructure” all year round, but particularly during the holidays, when the need tends to spike.

For families living in their cars, for instance, her nonprofit distributes gift cards to restaurants where they can eat in more comfort and safety, she said. Families staying in hotels with nowhere to cook can receive prepared food such as turkeys and tamales. Her nonprofit also distributes food from its small pantry or buys groceries for families in need.

Inadequate food is an ongoing problem for young people and families across California and the U.S., and it’s not only school-age children who are at risk.

One in 4 college students nationwide has an unreliable food situation, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office, which provides fact-based information to Congress. However, most of those who are potentially eligible are not enrolled in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP — the GAO found.

Congress passed a law in 2024 designed to raise enrollment in federal food-aid among students by giving the U.S. Department of Education the authority to share student data with both federal and state SNAP agencies to determine their eligibility. But in a report this year, the GAO said that the department still had not made a plan to share this data, or given states guidance about the benefits of the law.

Self-assessments completed by young people ages 18-24 in Orange County as part of the nonprofits’ data collection mirror the food-access concerns that young adults across the country report. The research shows about half go to an institution of higher learning full-time, a third go to school and work part-time and the rest work full-time. So even though they have income, many are worrying about food, Morgan said.

In fact, getting enough to eat ranked higher than adequate clothing and safe, stable housing among college-age students who shared their top priorities ahead of the holiday season in 2024, she said. The nonprofits plan to release more insights about youths they’re tracking in 2026.

“When you look to the data of what these youth are asking for, it sheds a lot of light on what those core vulnerabilities are,” Morgan said. “These are individuals who want, desperately, dignified employment. They’re prioritizing things like savings, household income, money management, skills for employment and healthy lifestyles.”

Feliciano-Sabala said the digital tool was developed in response to the desire among case workers to offer help that is more tailored to those in their care.

The nonprofits hope to share their findings with service providers and policymakers to better address what young people say about their lives and dreams.

To the editor: It is horrible that even very small pieces of plastic trash harm marine animals (“How little plastic does it take to kill marine animals? Scientists have answers,” Nov. 17). Having picked up trash at Oceano Beach and Pismo Beach for years, I’ve seen flattened mylar balloons (in the most remote places), ubiquitous cigarette butts, toothpick wrappings, plastic grocery bags, bottle caps, degraded plastics of beach toys and Styrofoam. These items are easily found in kelp piles, along with white foam beads and hard plastics in a variety of colors.

I am grateful to the SeaVenture Beach Hotel for holding monthly Pismo Beach cleanups and to Taylor Lane of the “Cigarette Surfboard” documentary, who has made it a cause to stop plastic pollution.

Mark Skinner, Los Osos

Union leader David Huerta pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice related to a confrontation with immigration officials during a raid this summer.

Huerta, the 58-year-old president of the Service Employees International Union California — a group that represents healthcare, property service and public sector employees — was detained by federal agents and hospitalized June 6 while documenting one of the first in a string of immigration raids that roiled the region over the summer. He was released on his personal recognizance and was told to remain at least 100 feet away from federal officers.

After his arraignment, Huerta spoke to reporters, union members and supporters, blasting the charges filed against him.

“These charges are baseless, they are attempting to silence anyone who dares to speak out, organize or demand justice,” Huerta said. “I will continue to stand with you until every worker and every family is safe from raids, separation and fear and our constitutional rights are protected.”

Chants of “¡Si se puede!” erupted from the small crowd.

In a video of the incident obtained by TV station KPIX, Huerta can be seen at a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles verbally confronting federal agents with his hands at his hips before being shoved to the ground and promptly taken into custody, hoisted by the back collar of his shirt.

According to the original federal criminal complaint, Huerta was allegedly witnessed “taunting” and “yelling” at federal enforcement officers as they attempted to execute criminal search warrants of four businesses in the downtown area accused of “unlawfully employing illegal aliens.” The complaint alleged that Huerta also attempted to block federal enforcement vehicles from exiting or entering a clothing wholesale business parking and compelled other protesters to sit in front of the vehicle exit.

After his arrest, prosecutors said they originally planned to charge Huerta with a federal felony offense of conspiracy to impede an officer, which can carry a maximum six-year sentence. He was released soon after on a $50,000 bond.

Huerta’s attorney, Marilyn Bednarski, said after the press conference that the charges were downgraded from a felony to a misdemeanor, she believes, due to a lack of solid evidence.

The detainment spawned an intense reaction from immigrant and labor activists, becoming a flash point early in the protests around California. The National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles days later, leading to additional unrest across the city.

“This administration has turned the military against our own people, terrorizing entire communities, and even detaining U.S. citizens who are exercising their constitutional rights to speak out,” SEIU Workers West, a subdivision of the union, said in a press release. “

Top Democratic leaders also criticized federal officers for their treatment of Huerta during and after the arrest, including California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot and an advocate for working people,” Newsom said in a statement at the time. “No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action.”

The U.S. Attorney Office for the Central District of California announced last month that 10 additional individuals had been federally charged and arrested on complaints of violence against officers and property during immigration protests. The office is also seeking federal charges against one individual in state custody and another who has yet to be arrested.

“Acts of violence against the brave law enforcement officers who protect us are an attack on civilized society itself,” U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said in a press release. “As today’s arrests and charges illustrate, anyone who engages in such disgusting conduct will face severe consequences from this Department of Justice.”

Huerta’s trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 20, 2026.