Mobile School Pantry is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization established in 2013 to help alleviate hunger through the provision of nutritious food to children and their families at Title 1 Schools in South Florida.
The Mobile Pantry affords the chance to reach a greater number of schools and families, allowing them to serve those who are unable to access a food pantry in their neighborhoods with little burden for the school.
One in five children in South Florida live in food-insecure households. Mobile School Pantry understands that hunger is a reality facing children and families in our communities and gives families an opportunity to get fresh fruits and vegetables in their neighborhoods with very little burder on schools.
How Mobile School Pantry Works
MSP works with schools to establish a pop up Client Choice pantry on site. Students and their families can access nutritious food items from these pantries with no questions asked. The goal of the school pantry program is to provide not only food but connections to additional services for the family in order to achieve long-term solutions to end hunger and malnutrition.
Children and families are referred to the Pantry by the guidance counselor or social worker at the school. There are two qualifications to participate in the program – Students must be enrolled in a participating school and need a helping hand.
MSP offers a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, and non-perishable food items in a farmer’s market-style atmosphere at no charge to families in need of food assistance. The program operates once a month at each school. During this time, they distribute an average of 14,000 pounds of food items and serve 450 to 750 children and families.
How You Can Help
There are a number of ways community members can help MSP end hunger. Financial donations are always welcome. In addition, MSP accepts anything from cases to truckloads of food and non-food items that are dry-stored, frozen, fruits and vegetables, meat products, or surplus; and for any of the following reasons: surplus or seasonally packaged, cosmetically damaged or code-dated, unlabeled or mislabeled, discontinued or test-market, private-label brands, or under/over-weight items.
MSP welcomes volunteers ages 14 and older. On the day of the pickup, fresh produce and other nutritional goods are sourced from several local partners and are delivered to an outdoor packing location. A limited number of volunteers pack all items. The families are then able to select the items they would like, using reusable bags, helping to lower food waste.
Mobile School Pantry’s (MSP) mission is to provide nutritious, healthy grocery items to students and families at low-income schools throughout South Florida. If you know a child or a family that may benefit from their program visit www.mobileschoolpantry.org
