Last month, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were halted for the first time in history. When the Senate failed to pass the appropriations bill, the U.S. government was shut down for 44 days, halting SNAP benefits for many of over 40 million people who depend on them. Although SNAP benefits have been restored, it may take a while for them to be processed and received by families, which is why eight clubs at VPM collaborated to organize a food drive for our school community.
Spartan Youth Service, Student Council, Young Progressives, Student Support Foundation, Female Empowerment Club, Memorial Meals Matter, Superhero Club, and Key Club are working together to collect donations of both items and money. Donations will go to four local food pantries: Allied Food Pantry, Good Shepard, A Way Forward, and the Lussier Center.
Monetary donations will be collected in jars in the Welcome Center, and are very effective for food pantries since money goes much farther for food pantries at the grocery store than for us. For example, a food pantry can buy rice for 80 cents, whereas the same amount of rice is priced at $1.69 at a grocery store. Like the homecoming Penny Wars fundraiser, where each jar represents the answer to a question, and students and staff place money in the jar they agree with. The question changes each week and will be sponsored by a different club—your money is both a vote for your opinion on the question of the week and a donation to a food pantry.
There will also be bins in the Welcome Center where you can donate food and materials. Food items in high demand include cans (with pop tops; not everyone owns a can opener), boxed milk, cooking oil, canned tuna, ground coffee, bread, sugar, flour, and cake mix. Food pantries can’t accept homemade goods, and please don’t donate anything that needs to be refrigerated!
They also accept household items, like menstrual products, dish soap, laundry detergent, baby diapers (in sizes 4 and 6 especially), baby wipes, shampoo, body wash, and cleaning supplies.
If you’re able to donate, bins and jars will be available in the Welcome Center for the foreseeable future.
