Hygiene products will now be among services offered at the Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington School District pantry.
Jazz Osman, who helps oversee the pantry, said the pantry began a couple years ago as a way to help students in need. The pantry is open to students and family members of students, who can stop in an “shop” for food items.
“When I say ‘shop’, I mean they can come in and get what they need,” Osman said. “Everything is free for the student and their families.”
According to Osman, the district received a grant from the Free Store Food Bank in Cincinnati. They give the district a budget of $1,000 that is used at the food bank.
“The stipulation on the grant is that we use it through them,” she said. “During the school year, they can ‘shop’ anytime and we open it at least twice a month during the summer.”
Osman said normally only food is offered. However, hygiene items, such as deodorant and feminine products will now be available.
According to Osman, some hygiene products have been available in the past, but not to the extent the district will now be able to offer.
“We have a drawer where we would keep feminine products for students that we would purchase when we had the available funds,” she said. “We also had a deodorant drawer. But, this will allow us to have those products more readily available for the students that need them.”
Osman said she knows the pantry will make things easier for students who need help.
“It’s really sad,” she said. “We know there are some students who have a hard time. That’s what this pantry is about. It’s to help students and their families.”
There is also a possibility for a popup farmer’s market type pantry that would help the community as a whole, according to Osman.
“We held a pop up produce market in the past,” she said. “We would like to do that again. If we do, that’s something we can open up to the public as a whole.”
Osman said the school pantry began in the 2017-18 school year and serves about 100 families. The yearly food budget is about $9,900 and the yearly health/hygiene budget is $2,040.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}