SCSD leaders and several community partners came together Wednesday at Keane Elementary School to announce how district schools have removed barriers and are providing families with increased and easy access to quality foods by adding food pantries on campuses.
Thanks to the support and partnership of many community organizations, including SICM, MVP, Broadview Federal Credit Union, the Regional Food Bank, the Schenectady Foundation, Justice for Orphans, United Way, Liberty Church and more, each of Schenectady’s eleven elementary schools now has a food pantry open to all families of the district.
A significant difference from the backpack program is that families select their food from stocked pantries and can take as much as they need to feed their families. Whereas the backpack program was preselected food that only fed the school age child/ren.
Each of the many partners offers a unique contribution which includes financial support, food items, organization, volunteer time and supplies and storage such as the cabinets where the food is stored.