RALSTON, Neb. (WOWT) – Ralston Middle School has opened a new food pantry as child hunger continues to grow in Nebraska.
The Food Bank for the Heartland says 1 in 5 Nebraska kids do not know when their next meal is coming. The organization says childhood hunger has risen 76% over the last three years, a statistic it calls unacceptable.
Voices for Children in Nebraska says federal SNAP cuts are also hitting families. According to the Nebraska Examiner in July, citing state data, the state’s SNAP enrollment dropped from nearly 150,000 to about 125,000 people since last July.
Growing food insecurity
Anai Salazar, with Voices for Children in Nebraska, said food insecurity is a growing problem in the state as federal SNAP cuts and rising costs persist.
“After H.R. 1 passed last year, we’ve seen a huge cut in SNAP of families able to access SNAP, and half of those being children. So school age-wise, at five to 18 years old, about 35% of 16,000 children have lost SNAP and are within that five to 18-year-old range,” Salazar said.
Ralston 8th grader Layla Hannon said she has seen the struggle.
“This is awesome. I am so happy to be a part of this because I’ve seen the struggle,” Hannon said.
New pantry at the middle school
The new pantry is the second inside a Ralston Public Schools building. A similar concept has been at Ralston High School for more than a decade. School officials said the high school pantry and mobile pantry have seen increased use over the years.
Stephanie Sullivan, with the Food Bank for the Heartland, said the food bank partnered with Ralston Public Schools and Hy-Vee to bring the pantry to the middle school.
“Food is a right for everyone. Everyone deserves access to food. And having a pantry where children are at everyday will allow them to get the resources they need so they can have a successful year and their parents can also get the resources they need to thrive,” Sullivan said.
Ralston Public Schools Superintendent Jason Buckingham said the middle school pantry, called the RAM Fam Pantry, is student-run and open weekly.
“It’s really important for our kids to feel a connection to the school, to feel a connection to the adults who work in this building, as we look at that, what better way can we show that we care than providing for a base need that they may not have in their home? So by providing that nutrition and providing that ability for them to go and not be hungry, I think we’re doing a great thing here at Ralston,” Buckingham said.
How the pantry works
Parents and guardians can sign up to use the pantry. Program leaders said students who use it are given a number to protect their identity. Pantry workers use each student’s number to fill a backpack with food for them to take home. Students helping in the pantry are given a list of items to include, such as shelf-stable items and fridge staples.
Buckingham said the process is anonymous.
“It’s done anonymously. It’s done by tags that are numbered and not named, so the students that are helping don’t necessarily know the students that are in need,” Buckingham said.
Elayna Krutina, an 8th grader helping at the pantry, said she wanted to be part of the effort.
“We get told that we get to help out about like with this and we can help others in our community. And everyone just really wanted to be a part of it and it’s really nice,” Krutina said.
Distribution day is Friday, though Buckingham said that could change as the pantry continues operation. He said information about the pantry has been sent to parents through a newsletter. Ralston Public Schools said six students have already been served by the pantry.
Anyone with a student at Ralston who could use the pantry is asked to contact the school district for information on how to get involved.
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