Step 1
Identify adults who will be responsible for the overall effort (gathering donations, ordering from Dare to Care Food Bank, coordinating delivery to the school, safe storage, distribution, recordkeeping, etc.)
Step 2
Secure school administration’s support for the project. The Food Bank requires an agreement signed by the school principal.
Step 3
Identify location in the school where non-perishable/perishable foods will be stored and/or distributed from:
- Is it secure from theft? Tampering? Contamination from chemicals, water, etc.?
- Appropriately stored – clean, dry, cool, off ground, away from wall at least six inches
- Is shelving needed? Cart to move food? Scale?
- What types of food can be stored? (produce, frozen, shelf-stable)
- What foods do you want in the pantry? (meat, bread, produce, shelf-stable, etc.)
Step 4
Devise a plan and schedule for distribution – what days? What times? How?
- Families and students or just students
- Consider requiring family/student to bring referral from a counselor, teacher or administrative staff to get food
- Protect their identities from other students/families
- Protect their privacy in seeking emergency food assistance, in carrying food home, riding the bus, etc.
- How will it be distributed? Food box or Choice System (student can choose a certain number of items based on family size and/or need)
- How to meet minimum distribution requirements (20 families per month, 2x per month?)
Step 5
Develop a plan to notify families/students and the school community about emergency food assistance now available at school.
- When/how often?
- Flyers? Posters? Articles in newsletter?
- Staff meeting item to familiarize school staff so they can refer students they think may need food assistance
- Healthy School Pantry Kick-Off event
Step 6
Consider enlisting student groups (clubs/classes) to work on the project
- Organize food drives to refill shelves in the pantry
- Students can sort and shelve foods, go through periodically to discard expired products
Step 7
Recordkeeping – monthly data requested: simple intake form from each student, number of instances of service to student, pounds distributed at each instance of service
Step 8
Refer for further food assistance – pantry workers should provide other food assistance information.
