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Wooster superintendent highlights food pantry partnership and winter-break boxes for students
Summary
Wooster City Schools officials described a school-based food pantry launched with the Akron-Canton Food Bank and a winter-break box program supplying child-friendly, shelf-stable meals and hygiene items to students; boxes are assembled with student volunteers and distributed twice a month.
Gabe Tudor, superintendent of Wooster City Schools, said the district has set up school-based food pantries and a winter-break box program to help families cover meals when students are not in school. "Those boxes are distributed twice a month, and families, if they are interested or need that support, are able to fill out the link," Heather Olsen, the district's service coordinator, said.
The programs are intended to ease food insecurity during periods when students miss school meals. "We're very, very blessed that our kids get both breakfast and lunch at school," Carrie Foster, the district's case manager, said. "So we acknowledged that when they're not in school, parents are having to supply those extra meals... we knew that was gonna be a hardship going into winter break for the almost 2 weeks that we're off." The district described the winter-break boxes as child-friendly, easy-to-prepare items that students can make if parents are working.
Foster listed typical contents: "These are just add water, pancakes that they can make, macaroni and cheese, soup, peanut butter and jelly." The boxes are assembled largely from community donations; students help prepare them. "We have a station set up in the library, and they can go in and they can wrap the boxes," Foster said. Fourth-grade students prepare hygiene bags with shampoo and deodorant, and some high-school classes create small activities such as a gingerbread-house kit and hot chocolate.
The work builds on a partnership with the Akron-Canton Food Bank (licensed last summer) and support from the Worcester Hope Center, district officials said. The district operates pantries at the middle and high schools during the school year and offers pickups at those schools; transportation staff will deliver boxes when families need that help. Officials said families can request support through a link provided with the program materials.
Tudor thanked students, staff, volunteers and donors for supporting the efforts. The program is ongoing during the school year; officials closed the segment by encouraging families to use the sign-up link and by thanking the community for its support.
