Schools may be out for summer vacation but planning for the next year is going forward. Thanks to a generous $75,000 gift from the Morgan Stanley Foundation made through Feeding America, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s School Pantry program is well funded heading into the 2021-22 school year in Nash and Edgecombe counties. The donation was made specifically to back the expansion of Choice School Pantries in those counties.
Food insecurity is projected to reach 14.8% in North Carolina in 2021. Child food insecurity rates are projected to be higher, at 20.1% (Feeding America). In rural counties, such as Nash and Edgecombe, those rates are even higher. The child food insecurity rate for 2021 in Nash County is projected to be 24.2%. In Edgecombe County, that rate is projected to be an alarming 33.7% (Feeding America).
School Pantries are operated in elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the Food Shuttle’s service area. They provide students and their families who may be facing food insecurity with access to shelf-stable foods, fresh produce, meats, and hygiene items at a safe and easy-to-reach point in their communities. As with so many other things, COVID-19 introduced changes to the structure of the School Pantry program; enter Choice School Pantries. Choice Pantries are designed to give participants the option of selecting the items they will take home, rather than simply being given a box of pre-sorted goods. The benefit of such a model is that it drastically reduces the significant issue of unused items and food waste. Also, allowing participants to choose the items they receive helps to ensure their dignity.
The Food Shuttle has a variety of models to consider when setting up a Choice School Pantry. Choosing which pantry model to utilize within the school walls can be challenging even without the constraints of a global pandemic. What works for one school environment or community will not necessarily work for another. To develop the best Choice Pantry option, the most successful approach has been to engage a team made up of Food Shuttle staff, school administration and students.
The Morgan Stanley Foundation funds will assist in bringing about some exciting changes to our School Choice Pantry programs in the year to come. “We believe this will increase patron satisfaction and reduce waste in the upcoming school year,” said Julia Morales, Interim VP of Community Engagement and Business Strategies for the Food Shuttle. “We are hopeful to be able to implement new best practices while also taking the best lessons learned from this past pandemic year. With these tools, we will be able to continue addressing food insecurity for students and their families by providing better access to wholesome foods in our service area.”