TAMPA, Fla. — There are several food pantries at schools across the Tampa Bay area that offer students and staff free groceries.
But they also serve the entire community who live in a food desert.
9-year-old Jeffry Hernandez and his 5-year-old brother Adrian love going to the pantry at Kenly Elementary School in Tampa. Both get to pick out their favorite foods.
“I like to eat the snacks. I like to eat the snacks here. What I like from here are the desserts,” said Jeffry.
“Paw Patrol macaroni,” said Adrian.
And they’re not the only ones who enjoy the pantry.
Grandma Erica Richardson also enjoys the pantry.
She cares for her five-year-old and six-year-old grandchildren. She says the free food is so needed for her family and many others.
“I enjoy coming here to the pantry. I love that the school is helping the community out. I love a school that does that," said Grandma Erica Richardson.
She continued “They have like oranges, cucumbers, potatoes. They had all their onions and bell peppers. I get all that. I prepare my food with all that.”
“We have a variety of foods that families get to come in. And it's client choice, which means you come in, you get to pick what you like, and it's all free,” explained Kim McCray, Kenly Elementary’s Social Worker.
Kim has been the school’s social worker for the last 20 years and helps run the food pantry since it is often busy.
“We are in a food desert. So, the nearest grocery store is probably five miles or more away. So, to be able to come here to get fresh produce, to get canned foods, to get bread and items that help with the shopping costs. We've got a lot of positive feedback about it,” said Kim.
And thanks to a grant through Feeding Tampa Bay, the school pantry will continue to help those in need.
“There's a lot of families in this community that are really struggling, and they have this school as their port in the storm, if you will, to help take care of themselves,” said Shannon Oliviero, from Feeding Tampa Bay.
Kenly Elementary’s food pantry is one of 78 school pantries that Feeding Tampa Bay supports.
At Kenly, they serve about 25 to 45 families every Thursday from 2:15 to 3:55 p.m. They also offer free groceries to their staff on Fridays.
