Mexican stew raises money for a good cause in Roseland

One doesn’t have to go far for a delicious dish of pozole. Hundreds of bowls of the traditional Mexican stew were served Friday evening at Roseland Elementary School as part of the annual Winter Pozole Night fundraiser.

Cumbia music blared from the speakers set out in front of the school gym as people flowed in to get a taste of the hearty hominy soup, typically prepared during the holidays in Mexico. Attendees chatted and laughed as they waited to grab a $5 bowl of chicken or pork pozole, served up by Santa Rosa Mayor John Sawyer and fellow councilmen Ernesto Olivares, Chris Coursey and Tom Schwedhelm. District Attorney Jill Ravitch handed out nachos, while Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo welcomed the crowd to the event, aimed at bringing together Roseland residents, community organizers and government officials to support the Roseland school and Community Action Partnership’s Padres Unidos program.

Carlos del Pozo, Padres Unidos program manager, and a group of mothers spent hours in the kitchen making the pozole. In its second year, the Winter Pozole Night is an important event that helps the school provide uniforms to children in need and supports Padres Unidos’ parenting classes for those with at-risk youth.