Angela is a mother and grandmother who receives food from a school based pantry in St. Paul, MN. School pantries like the one where we met Angela are distribution centers located on school ground, stocked by Feeding America network food banks and agencies, intended to provide an accessible source of food for low-income students and their families.
“I wouldn’t know what I’d do without [the school pantry],” says Angela, “I don’t get much with food stamps and this really helps me and my grandson and my son eat…We’re able to eat and be comfortable.
Watch Angela’s story now:
On another visit to a school pantry in San Diego, we met Genel “Mama Bear” Wynn, a volunteer at the school who helps run their pantry. Mama Bear explains why she got involved with the school pantry, saying, “I’ve been on both sides [of hunger]…When this program came to [our school], it was a blessing to become a part of it, because I was able to give back and help just like I was helped once upon a time.”
Speaking about the people she is able to help, Mama Bear says, “They come to you …and they say, ‘This time of the month, I need this food, this a blessing right now.’ Or, ‘My food stamps just got cut and I don’t know what I’m going to do, so I didn’t have any food to eat’… when they get it, they’re grateful, they’re humble and the kids, they have smiles and they have joy.”
Watch Mama Bear’s story now:
