Redwood: A Community

By Robert Nunez
News Reporter

Guadalupe Street runs from downtown San Marcos all the way to the small Redwood community. For some, Redwood is seen as a community or a colonia, with a low population and scarce assets. Schools, hospitals and even public libraries are just among the few resources that Redwood locals rely on from the City of San Marcos. Redwood, with a population of 4388, shyly sits between the borderlines of both Hays and Guadalupe counties. San Marcos being down the road, makes it the closest city to Redwood’s residents.

James Bowie Elementary is located in San Marcos, and is the school for most of the children who live in Redwood. School Counselor Mario Garza said there is a small difference between Redwood kids and ones that live across the street in middle-class homes.

“I know that their income levels are pretty low, I know they lack experiences, like going to the movies for example, or even eating out in restaurants are things they’re limited to,” Garza said.

Local Redwood resident Mary Helen Bradford said just as any other small town, Redwood also has its high and low crime neighborhood areas. An active member of Redwood Baptist Church, Bradford is originally from New Braunfels and has lived in Redwood for the past two years.

Both Garza and Bradford agree that the lack of resources in Redwood is seen everywhere in the community. It is especially seen in children and their education.

Garza said that most children from Redwood receive some kind of help, including donated clothes and even food or “brown bags” stuffed with food. These brown paper bags are labeled with a circular logo stating “School Fuel” in black and red colors on the front.

“I think we have approximately 50 kids who receive a “Brown Bag,” the majority are kids from Redwood who receive this bag to take home on Friday’s,” said Garza. “It’s donated from the Rotary Club, not from the school.”

The brown bags are filled with snacks like cereal, cookies and granola bars. These bags are given to some children on Fridays to take home for the weekend. These bags are provided by the San Marcos Rotary Club. The Redwood Baptist Church and the Rotary Club are just a few organizations who help donate items to the Redwood community.