Students at the West Central Valley Middle School can worry less about an empty stomach and focus more on their learning thanks to a new offering this school year.

At the beginning of the school year the middle school opened the “Help Market”, a food pantry provided in partnership with the Food Bank of Iowa. Middle School Counselor Hanna Sanders says they were approached by the Food Bank of Iowa last summer about opening a food bank, which was a no-brainer for the school as they already seek to feed students with their Backpack Program. There are no stipulations or requirements to access the market for the middle school students and their parents. The Help Market is also supplied with donations of clothing, hygiene products, and school supplies for those in need.

Sanders shares how the Help Market has benefitted the school, “It has been really helpful to have things available, especially during the school day. It’s hard as an adult to be hungry, (we) need to focus on our job so I can only imagine what it’s like for a student, seeing in class who’s hungry. So that’s been an incredible thing to see happen is a kid that’s hungry in class comes down and gets something for breakfast or a snack in the middle of the day and goes back a completely different kid.”

Sanders adds she hopes to schedule particular days students and parents can access the Help Market during the summer. If you are a West Central Valley parent and would like to set up a time to pick up food, or want to learn more about the Help Market, you can email Sanders at hsanders@wcv.k12.ia.us.