School Pantry
School Pantries are a collaborative effort between Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, community partners who provide volunteers, and an ever-increasing number of public schools within the food bank’s 18-county service area. This program operates in counties and schools where the need for food is greatest, where the percentage of students at an economic disadvantage is the highest, and where students and their families are underserved through other programs. These pantries impact some of the most vulnerable children in our communities – children who may be missing meals regularly.
School Pantries are located on school property, and food distributions take place each month on a set day and time. School Pantries provide children and their families with staple items. These items help them stretch their monthly food budgets. The program follows a client choice model, allowing families to make positive choices with confidence. Confidence helps them move towards self-sufficiency.
School Pantries by the Numbers:
- 12—the current number of counties in which the program operates
- 14—the current number of participating schools
- 6—number of counties that do not have a School Pantry within our 18-county service area
- 5,800—the number of families benefiting from School Pantries
- 200,833—the number of meals provided by School Pantries in the 2019-20 school year
- $15—average cost per family to provide a healthy food box once/month for a full year
- 50—the average number of families served by a single School Pantry each month
- 241,000—the pounds of food delivered to School Pantries in the 2019-20 school year
- $0—the cost to the schools/families and children receiving School Pantry food
For more information and to learn how to get involved, please contact the Director of Program Development Greg today!