In Tough Times, Students Rely On School Food Pantry
YARMOUTH (CBS) - It's a staggering number – 50% of students in some Cape Cod schools are struggling when it comes to getting enough food to eat.
That's why the shelves are stacked and stocked down the hall from classrooms at the Laurence C. MacArthur Elementary School in Yarmouth, where a group of moms and students from the Dennis-Yarmouth school district are creating some good and helping kids in need.
WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran reports from Yarmouth.
Tracy Post, one of the founders of "Create the Good" says, "some of the children were putting food in their backpack to make it through the weekend and that's just unacceptable."
Poverty is surfacing here like they've never seen before. So social workers have teamed up with students and parents like Sara Hersey, a single mom, who uses the donations from this school-based pantry program to make ends meet.
She says it hurts to be in this situation but she's glad to know people here who can help.
The program began in November and has collected enough donations to open pantries in every school.
Social worker Tanya Roza says the poverty has risen to 50% in Dennis. It's the highest rate she's seen in her thirteen years as a social worker in the schools.
The program not only provides much needed food, it really brings the community together. Students and families have made all of the donations to help other students all across the school district.
Even some of the youngest have seen the struggle.
Seven year old Rylie Flynn who's a student at the MacArthur school says, "I know some kids are needy in some of my classes, we have food so they should too."
It's a simple mission to keep the pantry shelves stocked full in every school to make sure every child has enough healthy food to eat.
Create The Good is accepting donations of non-perishable goods and toiletries.
If you would like to donate you can drop off items at any school or mail a donation check made payable to:
"Faces of Our Future" to the Laurence C. MacArthur School
1175 Route 28
South Yarmouth, MA 02664
