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Volunteers tell Burlington board Linda Paw Pantry must close at end of school'building lease; pantry provided food to thousands since 2018
Summary
Volunteers described the history and scale of the Linda Paw Pantry, which began in 2018 as part of the district's student backpack and pantry programs. Speakers said the pantry will close when its host building is vacated; they reported thousands of households served and requested continued acknowledgement of the pantry's community role.
Volunteers for the Linda Paw Pantry addressed the Burlington Community School District board on March 31 to describe the pantry's history, the scale of its operations and an announced closure tied to the host building being vacated.
Trina Tucker, who said she was a founding volunteer, told the board the pantry and the backpack program began in November 2018 in partnership with the Food Bank of Iowa. "Food for both the backpack program and the pantry are provided at no cost to the Burlington Community School District by the Food Bank of Iowa," Tucker said, and volunteers supplement that supply with donated goods, household supplies and personal-hygiene items.
Pam (last name not specified in the transcript), a pantry volunteer who followed Tucker, said the pantry's model is to let patrons shop in a grocery-style setup: families check in, complete the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TFAP) form when needed and choose items from shelves; volunteers then load the items into patrons' vehicles for pickup. She said principals, counselors and social workers can request emergency boxes for families.
Volunteers presented usage figures they said reflect the pantry's reach. They told the board that in the last calendar year the pantry served 2,829 households (an average of about 235 households per month) and 9,309 individuals (about 778 individuals per month), of whom 3,140 were aged 0'18. Since opening in November 2018, volunteers said 92,494 individuals have received food from the pantry.
Trina Tucker and other volunteers thanked district administrators and the Food Bank of Iowa for their long partnership and recognized community volunteers and students who helped operate the pantry; they described more than 13,000 volunteer hours since the pantry opened. Volunteers said the pantry will close when the building that houses it is vacated and asked the board and community to note the program's impact as it winds down.
Volunteer Brid(al) Johnson (name as recorded in the transcript) said he had been involved since the start and praised the long-running commitment of volunteers during challenges including the bag program, holiday gifts and the COVID period. "I mean, it's just their willingness to give, to our students and to the community was just amazing to be a part of," he said.
No board action was required or taken on the pantry report; the presentation was given during the public-comments portion of the meeting. Volunteers requested continued recognition of the pantry's work as it prepares to close operations from its current location.
