Food pantry removes hurdles

Staff at WEST Academy are determined to make sure students and their respective families will not go hungry.

A delivery of more than 1,144 pounds of food from the Food Bank of Iowa might just ensure that. WEST Academy Principal Tara Zehr awaited the hefty order late Thursday morning, and with the help of some students, stocked the alternative campus’ newly created food pantry.

Packages of ramen noodles piled into a large tote. Boxes of pasta stacked neatly onto wire racks. Lunchables reserved the entire top shelf of one refrigerator while crisper drawers filled almost exclusively with string cheese. Anything a family might need to prepare a meal is now in the food pantry.

Not a bad haul for the Food Bank of Iowa’s first monthly shipment to the Newton Community School District campus. Before Zehr and WEST Academy Secretary Kelly Sorenson began opening boxes, the latter scanned her surroundings and realized just how much food the school acquired.

“I didn’t think we ordered that much,” Sorenson said with a laugh. “Oh my goodness! This is amazing. I think we need more shelving.”

Zehr added, “We might.”

Originally stocked with donated items from the community since about fall 2019, the pantry has since received financial boosts from two grants to help kickstart the initiative. WEST has gained further support from the Food Bank of Iowa by receiving compensation for the pantry’s shelves, fridge and freezer.

To continue ordering food packages, staff has to track the amount of people who use the pantry, as well as the number of people in their household who are also benefiting from the food. Zehr said temperatures of the fridge and freezer also need to be monitored.

WEST Academy kids have stepped up to bolster the pantry’s impact, too. For the past few weeks, students helped staff set up and organize the pantry during their open periods. Zehr said adding a pantry to the campus meets the students’ basic needs.

“If they can get it here and they can’t somewhere else, then why wouldn’t we provide it to them?” she added.

The pantry is open to WEST Academy students and their families at all times. Acknowledging other families outside of the campus could benefit from the pantry, Zehr said staff is open to the possibility of providing food to the community on Friday afternoons.

“Our hope is that having food available can maybe just remove a hurdle students may have,” Zehr said. “Whether it’s getting to school in the morning because maybe they’re hungry or over the weekend going home if they know there’s not much food at home, we’re hoping this gives them a safe place to ask for it and get it.”

There is a need for a food pantry at WEST Academy, too. Zehr said there were a number of students who mentioned they do not have much food at home. Others reportedly had to go straight to work from school and did not have a dinner to count on.

Sorenson had a hand in initially drawing attention to the food struggles of some students at WEST Academy. A single Facebook post caught the attention of the community, which answered back by providing food donations. Crafting the food pantry itself is just another step in the right direction.

Students, Sorenson said, were appreciative of the kind gestures — maybe even a little surprised, too.

“I think that the donations that we were getting from the community really blew some of them away (and let them know) that they are not unseen,” Sorenson said.

Zehr added, “It’s reaching the whole student. It’s not just about teaching them math or whatever. It’s about meeting their needs where they are, however we can.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com