School-Based Pantry
SCHOOL-BASED PANTRY
The school-based pantry program is an exciting new front in the struggle to end child hunger in Indiana. School-based pantries make staple grocery items, including basic hygienic products, available to students and their immediate family members at no cost. These pantries pose little burden to the school but make a significant impact on the lives of its students. Too many children must deal with the anxiety that accompanies living without day-to-day necessities. School is often the least of their worries. By removing this stress, school-based pantries give students the opportunity to devote their energies toward school in a healthy, positive environment.
The fundamentals of operating a school pantry are simple. A designated school official functions as the site coordinator, who is responsible for ordering items from the food bank. Gleaners aims to make this process as easy as possible, with online ordering and regular delivery appointments. The pantry itself requires minimal storage space; most schools find that the appropriate space and shelving is readily available. Finally, the school is given discretion regarding how often the pantry is opened and the number of items each family is allowed.
Gleaners strives to meet the diverse array of needs that exist in a school setting. School-based pantries provide necessary health and beauty aids that support a child’s self-esteem. Many students go without shampoo, deodorant, soap and dental items because hygiene items cannot be purchased using SNAP benefits. Additional items, such as toilet tissue, garbage bags, and paper towels, are kept in stock for every pantry. It is also important to note that far too many students are becoming parents, creating the terrible burden of having to choose between education or providing for your family. School-based pantries provide a third choice that allows for both.
Becoming a young parent should not force a student to discontinue their education, taking low paying jobs to provide for a new baby. Diapers, formula, baby wipes and baby food are stocked at the pantry on a weekly basis. Counselors at the school can send a student to the pantry any time that they see a need. Gleaner has been able to provide car seats and some clothing for babies as well.
Youth in poverty are taking on financial responsibilities for their families at far too early of an age. We need to let kids to be kids, which means allowing them to only worry about their responsibilities as a student. Our school-based pantry program gives students the resources they need to feel secure in their home life and thereby turn their attention toward succeeding in school. Ultimately, that is how the cycle of poverty is broken and hunger is defeated.
Gleaners was chosen by Feeding America as one of three food banks to receive grants for establishing school-based pantries and is widely regarded as a model program in the Feeding America network. Gleaners currently operates six school-based pantries with plans to expand to 20 throughout its 21 county service area by May 2012, which would make it one of nation’s largest programs.
PARTNERSHIPS THAT WORK!
Metropolitan Hight School's School-Based Pantry helped change lives of young athletes.