ROME, GA - West Central Elementary School's students and families will have a new and exciting resource to look forward to next school year. Thanks to a community partnership with Communities in Schools (CIS) of Rome-Floyd County and Helping Hands Ending Hunger, pupils will have access to a food pantry.
The food pantry will maintain a fully stocked supply of nutritious food items such as pasta, rice, frozen/canned meats, canned fruit, canned soups, snack bars, cereal, flour, cooking oil, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, juices, and more.
Insulated bags are also necessary as families are sent frozen items like whole hams, chicken, and sausage. The food pantry will also send home perishable items on weekends and holidays that need to be refrigerated. The bags are functional in that they protect the integrity of the food and maintain anonymity for students as they transport the food.
Gregory Wooten, CIS Executive Director, and Carla Harward, Executive Director of Helping Hands, were the community conduits that established the connection with West Central Elementary. They made the appeal and presentation of what the Food Pantry would entail to West Central's school administration.
CIS will provide the support to purchase the required supplies such as a refrigerator, freezer, and shelving. Helping Hands will give support to purchase other needed items and conduct the necessary training for faculty and staff.
This type of support directly coincides with the mission of Communities in Schools, which is to surround students with a community of support to empower them to stay in school and achieve in life. A lot of CIS support is designed and implemented to remove non-academic barriers so that students may thrive academically.
"Communities in Schools believes that no child should have to come or leave school hungry," Wooten said. "Our students should be focusing on academic success, personal growth, developing social skills, and planning for their future."
"In addition to student case management, mentoring, the Cardboard Challenge, and parental engagement, student basic needs are a major area in which CIS is dedicated to in its continuation of a partnership with Rome City Schools."
Helping Hands empowers students, school cafeterias, and communities to alleviate childhood food insecurity, reduce food waste, encourage education equity, and shape a healthier world. One out of six Georgia children go hungry, and one-third are from "working poor" families. The program has received local, state, and international recognition and has been endorsed by the Georgia Department of Education.
For any individual, civic group, church, company, or organization that would like to assist Communities in Schools in their work with families that may find themselves in a situation of need, or community partners interested in contributing to the Food Pantry in any way, please call 706-802-5740.