A new food pantry for Guthrie High School has been started to help students who may be struggling and are needing a boost in quality of life. A successful grant and some donations have gotten the program up and running.
Jessica Eaves, a secretary at Guthrie High School, recently answered some of the questions regarding the pantry.
Why did you decide to start a food pantry?
Students who are hungry, dirty and wearing tattered clothes struggle to learn because their focus is not on education. Kids who try to appear like everything is fine at home when it isn’t are also unable to focus on school. By meeting basic needs we hope to improve our students’ quality of life and ability to learn, which will help them prepare for a successful future and escape the cyclical trap that is poverty.
Why do you feel a food pantry is necessary for our students?
Just yesterday I was at the bank and there was a gentleman across the street digging in a trash can in front of the post office. I watched him pull out a wrapper and take a bite of whatever was inside. This man is someone’s child. People think hunger only happens in remote areas of the world and in large cities where homelessness is visible. People are hungry right here in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and many of them are our students who leave school and go home to empty pantries and refrigerators. It only takes one person with a vision to make change, and Kristi and I are doing what we hope others would do if our own children were hungry.
How did you acquire the funds to start a pantry?
I wrote my first grant and was given $3,000 from the Community Foundation of Central Electric Cooperative to use for the purchasing of food. The day after I received the award letter I was speaking with a former colleague, Tena Slaughter, the Community Relations Coordinator at OG&E, and she asked how things were going at the high school. Because I knew she would be excited to hear, I told her about the grant and she asked what else we could use for the pantry. We needed clear plastic storage containers and shelving, as well as a portable wardrobe for clothing, shoes and coats. A few weeks later she brought by a $500 check from OG&E toward the purchase of storage materials. These funds have provided 100 percent of the start-up cost for the pantry.
How will students acquire food? What is your plan?
We would like to give two breakfast, two lunch and two dinner items as well as two snacks each to our at-risk kids each week. We have around forty students on the list so far, and we know that number will grow. The Jr. High has had a very successful pantry and system in place for a few years, and we are modeling their setup. We are creating recipe cards and providing all items needed for small meals so these kids can learn to cook with inexpensive foods as well. We will give out hygiene items and clothing as needed.
What kinds of things do you have in the pantry?
We purchased canned items such as soup, chili, chicken, tuna, pasta, vegetables and fruit, pasta, rice and oatmeal packets, granola bars, peanut butter, jelly and other snacks. We also have hygiene items and a few articles of clothing.
Are you accepting unsolicited donations?
We are accepting unsolicited donations of funds, all sizes of clear plastic storage containers with lids, hygiene items like deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and body wash, and food items such as chicken noodle soup, beef stew, canned chicken and tuna, rice, pasta and oatmeal packets, peanut butter, cereal and granola bars. We will accept clothing donations as well, but these will need to be size-specific, so we would appreciate the public calling before bringing donations.
Who can the public contact if they have questions about the pantry?
If the public has questions, they may call Jessica Eaves or Kristi Blakemore at 282-5906.
Be the first to comment on "Grant and donations for GHS food pantry set to help students in need"