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Alliance City School District knows that food insecurity isn’t dictated by the schedule of a school year.
To bridge the gaps that summer and weekends create, the district has worked to ensure students have access to food and resources outside of the classroom.
Through a recent summer partnership with the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and the Alliance Community Pantry, Alliance City Schools helped orchestrate three summer food distribution events that connect community members in need with free groceries.
Located at Glamorgan Castle, the first two pop-up pantries were held in June and July and provided around 175 families with fresh produce, frozen items and shelf-stable pantry goods. The food bank also brought special items like cake pop mix and popsicles to distribute to students and children.
“People were lining up before we even started setting up — before the food was even there,” said Cheyanne Gonzales, Alliance City Schools communications coordinator. “It really showed us that the need is there and that our community is benefiting from this.”
During the school year, a partnership between the district and the Ben Curtis Family Foundation provides “Birdie Bags” to hundreds of students each month. These supplemental bags offer students nonperishable meals, snacks and toiletries to cover weekends and times when school meals are unavailable.
Kristy Woodford, school director of student services, was excited to build upon these existing efforts and connect with families for their summer needs.
“It’s a way to keep our families engaged and let them know we care about them,” said Woodford. “We know that kids who have their nutrition needs met have the ability to engage and be ready to learn.”
Staff members and high school students from Alliance City Schools volunteered to help distribute and carry the food during the pop-up events — and even middle schoolers in the Junior National Honor Society were eager to help.
Beth Palmer, Alliance City Schools student services administrative assistant, said the volunteer sign-up sheets filled up almost immediately.
“They jumped right in, they were helpful and they were carrying things,” Palmer said. “They were just so polite and kind.”
Woodford was also touched by the way volunteers and recipients came together as a community — with hopes to continue hosting future pop-up pantries through the partnership.
“Even folks who showed up who had needs were very considerate of each other,” said Woodford. “They would say, ‘I want you to save that for somebody else because I know there’s many other people here.’”
The pop-up pantries also gave students a chance to connect with their teachers and administrators, filling the event with hugs, smiles and high-fives.
The final pop-up pantry of the summer will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 26 at Glamorgan Castle.
Learn more about the initiative at https://www.alliancecityschools.org/live_feeds/12544685.
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘We care about them.’ Alliance City Schools bridges food insecurity gap
Reporting by Stark Community Foundation, Special to the Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Stark Community Foundation, Special to the Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
