A $2,000 grant provided by Farm Credit Services of America’s (FCSAmerica) Working Here Fund was awarded to WEST Academy to use for its food pantry. Rachel Skaggs and Laura Exley, customer service specialists for FCSAmerica, presented the check to West Academy Principal Tara Zehr Thursday at the First Avenue West campus.
With the newly acquired funds, WEST Academy can now stock its food pantry, which offers a source of food on the weekends and during holidays for “food insecure students attending the alternative school,” a press release stated.
“Our students are 10th through 12th grade students who often are providing for younger siblings at home or have children of their own,” Zehr said. “The food pantry would provide healthy meat options for students struggling to earn their high school diploma and provide for their families.”
Staff expect the food pantry to be open by the end of fall. The pantry itself will include a consistent supply of meal choices, healthy snacks and meal kits for students.
“We understand the importance of producing quality food and are proud to support WEST Academy High School to help alleviate hunger in the community,” Justine Stevenson, vice president of retail operations at FCSAmerica’s Newton office.
WEST Academy is one of 79 organizations to be awarded a Working Here Fund grant in the third quarter of 2019. Since Sept. 30, FCSAmerica has awarded $142,740 in grants.
FCSAmerica finances the growth of rural America, especially the needs of young and beginning producers. With a reportedly $29.9 billion in assets and nearly $5.8 billion in members’ equity, FSCAmerica is one of the region’s leading producers of credit and insurance services to farmers, ranches, agribusiness and rural residents in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
