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Elizabethton nurse and students launch 'Carl's Pantry' food box for families at FRC
Summary
Elizabethton High School nurse Alicia Jarrett and student partner Hudson Smith presented 'Carl's Pantry' — a donation box and community pantry to be placed at the Family Resource Center for students and families to access nonperishable food items; a plaque and donor list were presented and a local construction firm built the box.
A new community pantry called Carl’s Pantry — created in memory of Carl Clark — was presented to the Elizabethton City Schools board as a resource for students and families to pick up nonperishable food items from the Family Resource Center (FRC).
School nurse Alicia Jarrett told the board the pantry is intended to be available to any Elizabethton City School student and family in need. She said the pantry will provide basic food needs and will include information about further assistance; she described a $500 scholarship to support one qualifying student’s first semester of postsecondary education as part of the project’s legacy.
Jarrett described the pantry’s origin as a family initiative to honor her late father, Carl Clark, and asked the board to support keeping the box stocked and accessible. The presentation included a plaque supplied by FRC staff and a completed wooden pantry box made by Jonathan Renfro of Mitch Fox Construction; district staff said the box will be placed outside the FRC so families can access items by drive-up if needed. Staff noted the box still needs final paint.
Student volunteer Hudson Smith described his role and said he helped bring the idea into the nurse’s office to make the resource accessible and private for students who need food assistance. “Whenever I’m hungry, I can’t think about anything except when my next meal is gonna come from,” Hudson said, describing why an on-campus resource matters for students.
What’s next: District staff said the plaque will accompany the box, the box will be placed at the FRC and volunteers (including student partners) will help keep the pantry stocked. No formal board vote was required for the presentation.
