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HEUVELTON — Heuvelton Central School officials are involved in a pilot program to provide nutritional assistance to struggling rural families through the operation of a food pantry at the district’s high school.
The recently opened Heuvelton School Food Pantry is part of a partnership involving the Cornerstone Wesleyan Church and the Food Bank of Central New York, according to the school.
The pantry is located in what school officials have described as “previously under-utilized space” at the Heuvelton High School building. The center is staffed after school hours by volunteers.
The pantry will be open on the fourth Thursday of each month from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., except for days when school is not in session.
Heuvelton Central is serving as a pilot school-based pantry site, and if successful, other districts could follow suit.
Heuvelton School Superintendent Jesse C. Coburn said the school opted into the program after being contacted last year by the Food Bank of Central New York, which distributes to neighborhood centers across the north country. Founded in 1985, the Food Bank of Central New York distributes more than 14 million pounds of food to hungry families, children and elderly each year, according to the organization’s website.
“The board was supportive of the idea, as it helps to provide greater food security for the local population,” Mr. Coburn said. “Students that are well-fed and well-rested are better learners.”
Nicole Sharpe, director of the Ogdensburg Neighborhood Center, said word that the Heuvelton school is part of a pilot program to aid hungry families in the area is welcome news, and overdue. Ms. Sharpe said Heuvelton is part of her Ogdensburg center’s service area, which stretches from Waddington to Brier Hill. It’s a large, rural area where people who need access to food don’t always have the means to travel to the larger communities like Ogdensburg, where her center operates daily.
“What’s happening in Heuvelton is a fabulous idea,” Ms. Sharpe said. “I hope it catches on and other small schools can get on board.”
The Heuvelton school district serves approximately 560 students from the towns of Heuvelton, Oswegatchie, DePeyster, Macomb, DeKalb, Lisbon and Canton, according to school officials.
Ms. Sharpe said it makes sense to use schools as the location for satellite food pantries, because for many small communities like Heuvelton, the school itself is the hub of social and economic activity.
“That’s where the people are, that’s where they go,” Ms. Sharpe said. “Anything we can do to get food to families that need it is a good thing. We have so many places that are food deserts here in St. Lawrence County.”
For more information or to learn about volunteer opportunities at the Heuvelton food pantry, contact the district office or visit the school website at www.heuvelton.k12.ny.us.
For more information about the Food Bank of Northern New York, visit www.foodbankcny.org.
