Parents and students meeting with teachers at John Stark Regional High School on Monday, just days before Thanksgiving, will have access to a new food pantry.
Earlier this week, the fledgling pantry took in more than 600 pounds of non-perishable food items, which will be available to anyone attending parent-teacher conferences Monday night, no questions asked. The pantry will also be open before and after school and during the school’s flex block. All students and their families are welcome to access the donated goods.
The pantry was the idea of students in the Best Buddies and Life Skills programs at the school. The Best Buddies program is meant to help students with disabilities to engage with their peers. Students who are buddies pair with students in the Life Skills Program, which offers specialized instruction for students who struggle in a traditional classroom setting. The life skills students will handle all the inventory work (weighing food, checking dates) as well as filling bags, according to Patti Osgood, the school’s outreach coordinator.
The next task will be keeping the shelves stocked. Students are working with Deb Dow, who runs the Food for Friends program through the Congregational Church of Henniker, and Lucy Cote, who worked at the school for 16 years before retiring.
They hope to fill the bank with direct donations of food brought to school, as well as financial donations made to the Food for Friends program, which can be used to buy food.