Carson St Denis
Although the bi-monthly Taco Tuesday at the Southwest Church of Christ offers free food and drinks for students after school, this event goes unnoticed by many at Tigard High.

If you ever pass by the Southwest Church of Christ on the corner of 98th and Durham, you might see a sign for “Taco Tuesday”, a bi-monthly event for students to get after-school snacks and relax after the school day with tacos and drinks, all for free.

On the first Taco Tuesday of the school year, Sept. 12, the event was in full swing . Jeff Grow, the organizer of the event was very hospitable with a focus on getting the community together, inviting new faces in as they walk by the church.

Grow started this type of event back in 2006, which was at the time was held during morning hours. But according to Grow, once Tigard stopped having late starts on Tuesdays, he still wanted a “way to connect with and encourage students,” Grow said. So the church decided to institute Taco Tuesday with nachos and a build your own taco bar.

When asked about what the best part about organizing the event is, Grow knew exactly what he enjoyed the most about these events. “Visiting with and encouraging teens,” Grow said. “We meet so many different teens and it’s great to bring a smile to their face.”    

Unfortunately, only a few students at Tigard High School are using this opportunity. Of the 2000 students that attend Tigard High, only 59 have gone to Taco Tuesday.

Academics seem to be the biggest issue keeping students from walking down to the church on Tuesday afternoon. “Too much homework is the main reason,”   sophomore Dylan Shafer  as the reason he doesn’t attend, showing that it’s very inconvenient for many students to happen right after school.

Religious reasons also play a role, as sophomore Calvin Leduc-Bates explained. “It’s a church, this probably has some religious reasoning,” Leduc-Bates said. The church is obviously a large deterrent, and this might be a problem for the many who see this as a religious gathering. Many who have considered going end up turning away for fear they will be ambushed by priests when they walk through the door.

Many would say the biggest deterrent is lack of exposure. when asked, sophomore Lucas Nicholson explained that “most people don’t really know about it” as many might miss the church on their way to and from school. Others have a bus to catch instead of taking the 10 minute commute to get a quick snack.