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About 1 in 6 children are food insecure.
They don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
Fortunately, your school can help these students!
The new Salud America! “School Food Pantry Action Pack” is a free guide to help school personnel talk to decision-makers, work through logistics, and start a School Food Pantry to help hungry students and reduce local food insecurity.
A School Food Pantry accepts, stores, and redistributes donated and leftover food to students.
The Action Pack was created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Ramirez had input from Jenny Arredondo, nutrition director at San Antonio ISD, who started school food pantries on 10 campuses in 2017-18, based on a Texas law change led by Diego Bernal.
With the Action Pack, you can start a School Food Pantry in four steps:
- Start the Conversation. Use our model emails and talking points to talk to decision-makers about the need for School Food Pantries.
- Build Support. Use our model letter campaign, handout, emails, and presentation to build support for your pantry.
- Plan and Implement a Pantry. Use our “Quick Guide” and real templates from San Antonio ISD—which implemented 10 School Food Pantries—to craft your own.
- Promote Your Pantry. Use our printable signs and sharable social media graphics to alert students, parents, and the community to your big change.
“A School Food Pantry can save leftover cafeteria food from being wasted, and redistribute it to students who are hungry and food insecure,” Ramirez said. “It’s a win-win for schools, students, and families.”
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