Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47 recently issued the following announcement.
After donating items to Canterbury Elementary School’s food shed last fall and noticing the items disappear rapidly, Crystal Lake resident Shannon Trocki approached the school about adding a second, larger food pantry. This idea was well received by school administration, so Trocki and her family purchased and installed a second, larger shed at the school in November. The additional pantry has allowed the school to accept more donations and to separate food items from non-food items.
Canterbury Elementary School was the first to establish a school-based food pantry in 2017 through the efforts of the Canterbury Community Council, a dedicated group of Canterbury parents and staff members. Since then, District 47’s largest middle school, Hannah Beardsley, has also established a school-based food pantry. Approximately 51.4 percent of Canterbury students and 29.8 percent of Hannah Beardsley students are considered low-income and qualify for free/reduced lunch*.
A former District 47 parent,Trocki is a nurse practitioner for the Lake County Health Department and currently serves the students of Round Lake school district. “I donate regularly to the Canterbury shed, but I mostly donate non-food items, because, despite not having food, people also need to be able to stay clean and wash their clothes, which for me as a nurse, is a huge contributor to overall health.”
According to Canterbury assistant principal Amy Lilly, the school’s pantries are accessed primarily by families in the immediate area who either don’t have the proper identification or transportation to be able to utilize the Crystal Lake Food Pantry. Learning this made Trocki want to make school-based pantries available in all geographical areas of the Crystal Lake community, to people who are in a similar situation.
In late November, Trocki contacted District 47 with her idea and the administration and several principals jumped on board. In March, she set up a Go Fund Me page to raise funds to purchase a total of five sheds for District 47 schools: two sheds each for Lundahl and Bernotas middle schools and an additional shed for Hannah Beardsley. The Bernotas and Lundahl sheds will be shared with neighboring elementary schools (North Elementary and South Elementary) and all sheds will be installed at the middle schools by next fall.
“Food insecurity is such an important issue that all communities face and COVID has only made this issue worse,” said Trocki. “Children and families have so many other challenges to deal with. If we can help them get their most basic needs met by allowing them to access food or personal hygiene products, they can spend their money on other necessities.”
Once the new sheds go up at the middle schools, Trocki asks for the community’s support in keeping them stocked with items for neighbors in need. Donations will be accepted at Lundahl and Bernotas middle schools starting this fall.
“We are excited about this opportunity to serve our community and provide resources for our families,” said Kellie Marks, Bernotas principal. “We appreciate the generosity and time the Trocki family has given to help get the food pantries started at more locations.”
Requested non-perishable food items include canned goods, boxed cereal, boxed meals, boxed side dishes, pasta, pasta sauce, baby food, bottled drinks, chips, snacks, and baking ingredients. Requested non-food items include diapers, laundry soap, shampoo, conditioner, paper towels, toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, face masks, etc.
Trocki’s fundraising goal for purchasing the sheds, shelving and storage containers is $2,500. Trocki has exceeded her goal, raising $3,000 to date. Additional funds raised will be used to purchase items to stock the pantries. To make a contribution, go to https://gofund.me/cf47ce48.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47
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