A food pantry is opening at a Rapid City High School.
Feeding South Dakota, which has provided food assistance for students on weekends since 2006, has partnered with Rapid City Area Schools to bring a twice-a-month school pantry program to the vocational building at Rapid City High School.
The pantry will be open from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays twice-a-month and have food available for families of students enrolled in the district, according to a news release from Feeding South Dakota and the school district.
"The school food pantry program wouldn't be possible without the efforts of school administrators, teachers and volunteers working together in response to the problem of childhood hunger," said Jennifer Stensaas, Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Feeding South Dakota.
The current backpack program includes items such as cereal and milk, canned fruits and vegetables, entrees like soup and peanut butter and snacks, on average of 3.5 pounds per child.
The release thanks the Riddle Family Foundation for providing starter funds for the school food pantry.
District spokeswoman Katy Urban said, "Housing a food pantry in a school could potentially help keep students in school by relieving pressure to provide food for their families by working full-time. Additionally, school food pantries save students time and money by removing the need to take another trip to a different food bank or pantry. It's an all-around win for our students and their families."
