SCHENECTADY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — Schenectady schools are providing more support to students and families in the district by dealing with food insecurity. With the help of donations from a few community organizations, the district has opened a food pantry in each of its 11 elementary schools.
This will replace the Backpack Program, which gave students in need a prepackaged bag of food. Organizers said the new pantries will help students and breakdown barriers for the whole family.
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“Families are able to pick what they need and pick what they want versus, previously, we were prepacking bags, and it was very standard for all students,” Supervisor of Community Schools Kayla Ambesi said. “Now, families can get exactly what they need and want. This is one thing off their plate that they don’t need to worry about.”
According to Feeding America, one in every six children in New York State faces hunger. Any Schenectady families who would like to access the pantries are asked to contact their school-parent liaison.