
Tiverton Food Pantry Helps Students in Need
The Tigers of Tiverton High School are leading the pack when it comes to lending a helping hand. Students, faculty and staff have been providing food to their own through donations to their food pantry.
In the spring of 2023, the Culture and Climate Committee held a competition to see which department in the school could bring in the most items. From there, the pantry was born with help from Bill Phillips and his woodworking students. The talented crew built the shelves that hold the pantry items.
The pantry's goal was simple: provide food for their students in need. As time passed, the food pantry caught the attention of the Martin Luther Community Center who wanted to support the school and its students.
"With their generous help, out pantry was equipped with a refrigerator, freezer, more shelving and a supply of items we were not able to offer our students before," English teacher Lee McCarthy said.
Fortunate to provide for their community, McCarthy and the team at THS are happy to do their part for their fellow Tigers.
"Any family that has a student enrolled in the Tiverton School District is able to visit the pantry. We are currently open Tuesday evenings 4-6 p.m. and in the summer we will be open one morning a week," McCarthy said.
McCarthy also shared a few of the many hands it takes to keep the food pantry up and running including Head Custodian Mike Martins, Head of the Art Department Kevin Calisto, and pantry committee members Vicki Blaser, Sarah Cabral, Jodi Kelley, Nikki McGuire and Eric Marx.
"We even have students assist from time to time cleaning, stocking and checking expiration dates," McCarthy said.
The local area has really gotten involved as well.
"Not only is the pantry stocked by Martin Luther King Community Center on a weekly basis, the pantry receives weekly donations of fresh, organic produce from Kelli and Mike Roberts, owners of Roots Farm in Tiverton," McCarthy said. "Additionally, we receive donations from staff members and community members."
The high schoolers are having a positive influence on younger students, too. Ranger Elementary has held a few food drives and Barton Elementary donated almost 300 boxes of cereal at Christmas.
When visiting, please bring your own bag. Donations for the THS food pantry can be dropped off at the front office. To find out what items are needed most, you can email McCarthy at lmccarthy@tivertonhighschools.org.
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