Searcy, Ark., (LP) — Nearly 13 percent of the people in the United States live with hunger or have no food. There are also students in Searcy High School that go to school without any food in their stomach and go home to nothing to eat. It’s become a major issue as the number increases. Searcy High School has been partnered with the NHS food drive to gather food for the pantry and make packages for students in need. This is Searcy High School second year holding the food pantry. NHS and student council are the ones behind it along with Mrs.Jones. The food pantry accepts donations from anyone in the town. Daily Citizen is also a big part of the food pantry, collecting food supplies for the pantry as well.
Mrs.Jones runs the food pantry and student council along with being an English II teacher. She stated, “Student council meets monthly and we often use our time to make the food packs in an assembly line.” They pack the packages in gallon sized ziplock bags that are easy to slip into book bags during school without causing any attention. The food pantry provides breakfast items like pop tarts and granola bars, meal items like ramen noodles and Spaghetti-O’s, etc. Mrs.Jones and the Student Council also started stocking “toiletry items like wet wipes, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant.”
Student Council member Ty Haralson stated, “We are also going to start providing clean water because many students don’t have clean water and that’s a necessity.”
Mrs.Jones keeps the students names who get food packages confidential because “the students might feel embarrassed” states Ty. The food pantry serves students monthly, weekly, daily and sometimes students just need food for a brief period of time. The average students the food pantry feeds is 10-12 per week. Mrs.Jones stated that, “Students are very appreciative of the food provided by the pantry. It feels amazing to be able to make that kind of impact on someone’s life.”
Students come to school and they would never be suspected of not having food, but go home to nothing to eat. Ty states, “I feel like it’s our obligated duty to help out our fellow peers and friends.” He feels that there is always something you can do to help and it makes you feel good. Donations are made by anyone in the community and helps students in need. No student should feel insecure or embarrassed to get food from the food pantry, if you need anything from the food pantry, don’t hesitate to ask Mrs.Jones or the student council.
