Ibraham Elementary School and Lutheran Church of the Epiphany are helping families through a tough time to buy food with their school food pantry.
The pantry has been around for years and provides take-home bags of kitchen staples to about 25 to 30 Ibraham families on a normal weekly distribution day. However, the program has become more necessary than ever during the federal government shutdown, which is now the longest in history and has caused SNAP benefits to lapse for over 1.4 million people in North Carolina alone. This week, volunteers with the program are prepared to serve 45 families.
Principal N-Kenga Reich says that the pantry connects directly to the school’s mission of educating students. She says students can’t perform their best in the classroom when they’re not getting enough to eat, and their families can’t support them in their schoolwork as much when they need to focus on making ends meet.
“I’ve been in schools with this kind of program, and I’ve been in schools without one, and it definitely makes a huge difference,” Reich said. “Hungry kids don’t learn as well. They just don’t.”
Epiphany has supported Ibraham with food programs since 2011, and their volunteers say working in the pantry is an uplifting experience. Food Program Coordinator Jackie Pierson, a former educator, says it allows her to continue her calling to make children’s lives better in her retirement.
The impact isn’t only in the food, but the culture as well. Pierson says that there’s no shame when families get their bags from the pantry because they’ve built a strong sense of community. They try to make getting assistance from Ibraham and Epiphany feel as natural as asking for help from family.
“They know there’s a place they can go where they’re not strangers,” Pierson said.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has 26 school-based food pantries, all of them run through community partnerships.
Check here for a list of food pantries in your area.