R J Reynolds High School

today's Demon Pantry

 About 1,750 students make up the RJR student-body.  Approximately 50% of them qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch.   That is more than 850 Reynolds students!  Sadly, that means that some students show up not having had anything to eat since they left school the day before.  To combat this, Centenary United Methodist Church created a mission effort several years ago that started the RJR Demon Pantry (pictured above).  This pantry has food that is immediately accessible by such students. 

This endeavor expanded to include needed toiletries.  The reason is simple:  a female student was stopped while trying to take a roll of toilet tissue from a restroom with her.  When asked why, her response was:  "my family cannot afford toilet tissue."

A project has been undertaken that will greatly expand the Demon Pantry.  There is a corner room at the other end of the hall on which the school's main office is located. That room now has only unused student lockers (and is pictured below). This project will remove the lockers, and replace them with pantry-like units that will hold canned foods, dry goods and toiletries. Refrigerators will be brought in that will hold fresh fruits and vegetables.  Also, because the room has sufficient size to do so:  there will also be a clothing closet housed there.

Also, all uneaten breakfasts prepared by the school's cafeteria will be placed in these refrigerators so that students that woke up too late to eat breakfast can eat these during the school day. Microwaves will also be brought in, and doors to this room will be installed, so that no one passing by will know who is in this room, nor know what item(s) the student(s) in there are getting.

The reason why this expansion of the Demon Pantry will FOREVER solve the problem of there being hungry RJR students: Reynolds is now a 'Title 1' school, and probably will forever be so (since the geographic area of the county that RJR serves will probably not change much in the future). The school can spend some of the 'Title 1' funds it receives each year from the federal government to keep this room fully stocked.

This renovation project expanding the Demon Pantry will cost $25,000. The RJR Alumin and Friends organization is committing $2,500 towards this endeavor.  It is our hope that YOU too will make a donation!  To do so by credit card via Paypal.com, click onto the following link.

PLEASE DONATE NOW!

If you want to donate by writing a check:  it should be made out (and mailed) to:

RJR Alumni * PO Box 26172 * Winston-Salem, NC 27114.  (Please write "Demon Pantry" on the memo line).

Click here ( * ) to view the official RJR school profile...which shows the diversified makeup of the RJR student-body.

Click here ( * ) to return to the Alumni homepage.