Food pantries in school feed thousands of students and families

During the month of August, WRAL is partnering with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to help erase hunger in our community. The partnership is timed to the start of the traditional-calendar school year and one of the Food Shuttle’s fastest-growing programs – the Food Pantries Program.

Every school day, the 41 area schools with food pantries serve 1,500 students and their families. Students can grab a snack or quick meal during the school day and families can come to the pantries and choose from a balanced selection of fresh produce, meats, and groceries.

Shirley Monroe, manager of child hunger programs for IFFS, says, “It allows families to be in a comfortable place to pick up food, in a secure place, a confidential place, and for the families to be around people that they know. Their students go to these schools, and this makes it easier for families to have access.”

Over the course of the 2023-24 school year, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Food Pantries Program is expected to serve over 13,000 students and their families.