Mobile pantry offers an ‘oasis’ in Sussex County food desert
April 26, 2024
Rain – sometimes pouring rain – did not deter the families who came out to a recent mobile pantry at the North Georgetown Elementary School.
On this dismal Friday morning, about 162 families received fresh fruit, quality protein, milk, and kitchen staples in the drive-through pantry in which school staff and a few volunteers loaded vehicles. Principal Sarah Green explained that school leaders reached out to the Food Bank of Delaware to expand support for students. Out of the 750 students here in grades kindergarten through 5, about 75 percent receive multilingual services.
“As students and their families transition, they may need food, clothing and medical assistance. We believe that actions speak louder than words. We support the whole student, including social, emotional and functional needs. We take this very seriously,” Green said.
North Georgetown Elementary School is one of five sites identified as a Desert Oasis site through a partnership with the Harry K Foundation and the Food Bank of Delaware in conjunction with the state Department of Health and Social Services to better serve students and their families who live with food insecurity, according to Harry K Foundation Executive Director Laura Annan Glascoe.
Other sites are located in the Seaford, Bridgeville, and Laurel areas where food deserts – a term describing an area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Food deserts can be linked to negative healthy outcomes.
While many school sites lend themselves to mobile pantries since they can safely accommodate a Food Bank distribution truck and also supply volunteers to assist with registration and distribution, schools whose families have extenuating circumstances may be designated as a Desert Oasis site.
“Parents can pick up food to feed their children at the school,” Glascoe added. “We provide every opportunity to identify more sites, but parents do have to be able to pick up.”
This school has also participated in the Food Bank’s Backpack Program for many years; the program provides weekend and holiday meals for roughly 120 North Georgetown Elementary students each week.
Meanwhile, Green – the principal – notes that the Desert Oasis program operates seamlessly with other school support systems. “It is not a separate entity. It doesn’t feel like one more thing. We can provide instant support and positive energy,” she said. Parents who aren’t able to attend the mobile pantry during designated hours notify staff so a box of feed is set aside for parents later that day.
Despite the soaking rain, staff and volunteers smiled as they helped their neighbors, and neighbors were happy to receive fresh, healthy food. It was a positive day for everyone!
