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Apple Valley Unified dedicates food pantry to community volunteer; student leaders report campus activities
Summary
District staff dedicated the Apple Valley Unified food pantry to a longtime volunteer, noting the pantry now serves about 160–180 families each Friday and has received roughly $772,000 in donations in her honor. Student leaders from district high schools reported on finals, fundraisers and extracurricular achievements.
A district presentation at the board meeting highlighted the Apple Valley Unified School District food pantry's growth and announced plans to dedicate the pantry to a longtime volunteer, Belma.
"We started with 50 boxes ... we are now serving 160 to 180 families every Friday that school is in session," Marana said as she described the pantry's operations, volunteer hours and recent holiday distributions. The presentation said the pantry and family‑center work are supported through partnerships with Feeding America and Second Harvest and noted roughly $772,000 donated in Belma's honor to support the program.
Student representatives from the district also spoke: Giana Perez (High Desert Premier Academy) thanked tutoring staff and described final‑exam preparations and civic engagement activities; Hannah, ASB governing council president at Granite Hills High School, outlined fundraising for prom and grad events, competition results and mental‑health supports; Apple Valley High's ASB president (Eden) reported on athletics, CTE certifications (including 11 newly certified nursing assistants) and upcoming theater productions.
The board publicly recognized outgoing trustee Dennis Bender (absent from the meeting but watching a livestream) and thanked him for decades of service. Trustees and staff invited family and community members forward to accept a plaque and photographs for the district's records.
