Fall Creek Valley Middle School in Lawrence Township, Indianapolis, Indiana, is offering a new student-run program that assists other students in need of food. Many times students get breakfast and lunch from school, but during the weekends they may struggle to have the necessary resources for food. With this in mind, FCV guidance counselors are tracking students and parents who request assistance.

Did you know that one out of five children in the US live in food-insecure homes? In 2011, it is estimated that 50.1 million Americans lived in food-insecure households, and 6.7 million of those were children. The availability of food is not always guaranteed.

How does PAW Pantry work? FCV students can confidentially pick up a backpack of food to take home on Friday to get them through the weekend. Students return the empty backpack to the Paw Pantry on Monday mornings.

Michele Collins (Administration) and Anitra Lewis (Accounting) recently took a trip to FCV to visit the PAW Pantry. They delivered a $500 check to help restock the PAW Pantry. This cash donation was a follow-up to the 20 backpacks donated through American Structurepoint’s Community Service campaign last December 2012. Not only did they meet some wonderful teachers and administrators, but they also saw a well-organized pantry. These teachers care so much for the students that they took an old science lab and changed it into a large pantry where the students come in every Friday afternoon to “shop” for their weekend meals. The students are allowed to get as much as their backpacks can hold, with the exception of snacks. The PAW Pantry coordinators want to encourage the students to make healthy food choices, so they are only allowed one snack item per visit.

This was a real eye opener for American Structurepoint’s Community Service Committee, and it encouraged the group to want to do more to help combat the nationwide hunger issue.