SAN ANTONIO — Linda Cortinas walked to Sarah King Elementary on San Antonio’s West Side with a purpose. She wasn’t going to check on her grandchildren; she came bearing gifts.

“We get all this money and we go to Carvajal, Storm, Sarah King, Rhodes,” Cortinas said. 

Cortinas listed some schools on the West Side that are in one of the most impoverished ZIP codes in Texas — the 78207. She and her nonprofit, the Barrio Girls, recently gave back to the schools they attended over 60 years ago. 

“We are a small group, but I also see that we have beautiful big heart for the barrio, and you know how they say you forget where you come from? Nope, not us,” Cortinas says. 

Cortinas, 72, is legally blind and a cancer survivor, but is always on the go trying to find ways to nourish her barrio. 

Evelyn Garcia is a core member of the Barrio Girls and says there have been a ton of changes to the West Side, but there’s also a lot that has remained the same. 

“We decided to help with basic needs — tennis [shoes], jackets, uniform, underwear, under clothing, and we collaborated with the counselors,” Garcia says. 

The demographics of these schools are 90% Latino, where 97% of those students are considered economically disadvantaged. It doesn’t help that Bexar County has 19 independent school districts. Storm Elementary principal Jackie Navar understands that her students face many barriers because they live in the 78207 ZIP code. 

“But even with the resources we had here at Storm, starting with smart boards, I don’t have one here, but we make do. We have our projectors, our computers. What we did before COVID was to make sure there was a device in students’ hands,” Navar said. 

There are moments where students may need new uniforms or shoes, which can be difficult for schools that don’t have many resources. That’s where the Barrio Girls come in and ease that. 

“But it’s just something all of our kids can do, build friendships for a lifetime, be successful and come back and give back to your community,” Navar said. 

For the Barrio Girls, it’s simply their calling.