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Erie district expands school-based food supports as community partners face funding cuts
Summary
District staff reported rising student need for food assistance and described school-based 'community closets' and pantry partnerships; Erie High recorded 1,576 visits to its community closet between September 2024 and June 2025, and administrators said they will expand healthy food options amid federal and local funding uncertainty.
The district’s educational student-services team told the board that food insecurity among students remains a pressing need and that school-based supports have been expanded to respond.
A district staff member covering for Megan Easter said the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show about "14.2 percent of children in The United States facing food insecurity. That's 1 in 5 students." They said local figures are similar and that school-based responses include offering all students free meals through the National School Lunch Program, weekend backpack distributions coordinated with Second Harvest Food Bank, and on-site pantries at several schools.
Last year the Erie High community closet recorded 1,576 student visits between September 2024 and June 2025, the presenter said, and the district plans to expand closet offerings in 2025–26 to include healthier, whole-food options through Second Harvest’s healthy pantry initiative and stepped-up outreach so more students and families know the resource is available.
The staff member warned that funding pressures are increasing. They said federal streams that help local providers have been affected: FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program (Phase 42) funds were on hold for Erie County, refugee resettlement funding had been reduced earlier in the year, and rising food prices and a pending overhaul of SNAP after Oct. 1 could increase demand. The district is seeking additional private and community support and has asked United Way and local refugee-response funds to consider school student needs in planning.
Board members and the presenter discussed using case managers and community referrals to connect families to pantries and other community providers. They said the district and partners are also trying to reduce stigma by locating supplies in community-school spaces and coordinating donations and awareness campaigns.
The presentation did not identify any near-term new, recurring district funding line; administrators said planning meetings with Second Harvest and partner outreach were under way and that they would report back on expanded closet metrics and any new funding commitments.
