Ron Cope always understood that food insecurity was a major challenge for kids and families in the South Bronx. As our deputy director of Bronx community schools, he knew even before the pandemic that the one food pantry serving our Whitney Young Jr. Campus was not enough.

“I was a little concerned,” he said. “We have all these other schools that really need this.”

According to a 2022 report released by the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, Bronx residents experience the highest rates of food insecurity (19.7%) of all five boroughs. Our staff has made it their mission to meet the nutritional needs of the people we serve there.

In 2019, Children’s Aid opened its second food pantry at our Charles Drew Campus. Both campuses serve three schools each, greatly expanding our ability to provide pantry staples to our families and the greater community.

When schools shut down in 2020, Ron and his team worked in partnership with our Health and Wellness team, and organizations like West Side Campaign Against Hunger to distribute warm meals to thousands of students and their families. Witnessing the impact of these efforts pushed Ron to find a more permanent solution to food insecurity.

“There was so much funding out there during the pandemic,” he said. “We were serving 500 warm meals a week in schools. There was a food truck that came to each site during after-school programs. When the funding dried up, that disappeared, but food insecurity didn’t go anywhere.”

For this reason, we continue to expand our food pantry footprint. Recently, Children’s Aid opened a food pantry at M.S. 301, which also serves the students and families at Girls Prep Charter Middle School. Next year, in partnership with Food Bank for New York City, Ron and his team are set to open another pantry at our Fairmont Samara Campus, which houses two schools. That means our pantries will serve 10 schools in the South Bronx.

Each pantry is stocked with essentials like frozen vegetables, fruits, rice, pasta, oatmeal, cooking oils, and seasoning. The freezers are filled with chicken, fish, pork, and beef. Hygiene products are also available at each site.

“We talk to the parents and kids and pick what we know communities like,” he said. For example, some schools serve large Muslim communities. At these sites, staff may order less pork and stock up on chicken and beef.

Currently, students can pick up pre-packed bags with a variety of items. Starting this year, staff will pilot  a client-choice model at Charles Drew Campus thanks to funding from Food Bank for New York City and Morgan Stanley. Students and families will be able to visit the food pantry and pick what they want, similar to a grocery store experience. If it goes well, the model will be expanded to additional sites.

“We did all of this work to make sure we have food for our families,” he said. “But having these food pantries has been a game changer. It’s something we have done to expand our fight against food insecurity.”

We were featured in The Bronx Times for our work to help alleviate food insecurity. Check it out here!

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