Education
School pantries fight food insecurity at community level
Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
For many students, coming home to a favorite after-school snack or home-cooked meal is a comfort after a long, hard day at school. Yet, according to the USDA, for around 10% of Utah households, worrying about where the next meal will come from is a daily reality. Food pantries at Lehi High School and Lehi Junior High ease student stress by fighting food insecurity at the community level.
The Principal’s Pantry at Lehi Junior High and the Pioneer Pantry at Lehi High School provide food and basic hygiene supplies to students and their families who struggle with food insecurity. The pantries partner with larger organizations, including Tabitha’s Way in Pleasant Grove and Community Food Action in Provo, to make food more accessible to the Lehi community. Heading south to get help from a food bank is another stressor for already strapped families.
“It’s important to recognize the rapidly changing demographic of our city and our schools. As a community grows, it takes a while for resources to grow with it. We are happy to provide what we can to help,” said Amanda Heiderich, who helps run the pantry at LJHS.
The Principal’s Pantry at LJHS is open to the public on Wednesdays from 2-3:30 p.m. Anyone can come and pick up pre-made bags of food. Students can also access the pantry during school hours.
The Pioneer Pantry at LHS is only available to students and their families. It is open before and after school and during lunch. The pantry also serves numerous families by delivering food boxes to their homes throughout the week and by sending kids home with food at the end of the day.
LHS Community Outreach Coordinator Jeremy Hurl delivers the boxes to families with students in the Lehi Cluster outside of Lehi High School.
“We get leads through administrators, social workers and counselors, and then we will contact them to see how we can help out that student’s family,” Hurl said. Currently, the pantry is helping 67 families in the Lehi Cluster weekly.
Besides the partnerships with Community Action and Tabitha’s Way, the pantries work through a grant from the school district. They’re also helped by donations from local businesses as well as fundraisers and food drives from school clubs.
Heiderich said LJHS participated in a fall coat drive that provided warm clothing to many families in need through the pantry. Students at Lehi High School held an “Empty Bowls” Fundraiser to raise money to help stock the pantry’s shelves.
The pantry programs have both been open and building for just a few years.
“It’s amazing how much it’s grown and taken off. The need in the community is far greater than we ever imagined,” said Hurl. “Once we started building relationships and bridges, it’s been amazing to see the response from the community and local businesses and the appreciation from the families we help.”
“It’s been incredible to build those bridges, relationships and collaboration between business leaders, community leaders and school leaders,” Hurl continued. “It gives them a stronger tie to the school and the students themselves.”
To find out more about principal’s pantries and how you can help or donate, contact Amanda Heiderich at aheiderich@alpinedistrict.org for help with the LJHS pantry or Jeremy Hurl at jeremyhurl@alpinedistrict.org for help with the LHS pantry.
