In a heartwarming display of unity and support, our school recently hosted a special pantry night, inviting families to gather at the school and get access to any items they need at the pantry. The pantry is run by the student council and sponsor Kyrie Nehls. They stock the pantry and we get a regular delivery every Friday. 

“We have a Douglas County grant and we had two years to use the funds to engage our families,” dean of students Lynn Hill said. “Last year we had a family fun night.” 

Dr. Chris Porter at the district office manages all the funds. This money, grant money, was given to schools by Douglas County, and was given to engage families. It’s like a gift but it comes with stipulations. 

“We did what we thought was the best for our families,” Hill said. “Now what other schools did with that money is different from what we did with the money,” she said.

This year, they both decided to spread the money over a couple different activities. One was for the pantry night. Some of those funds were used to buy extra groceries and winter accessories. Families also received a special postcard that invited them to school activities such as concerts and sporting events at the school. 

“We asked ourselves, ‘How can we have these families that don’t usually come to school, come and have some fun?’ ” Hill said. “We also used some of the funds to pay their tickets to come and get into the school events for free.” 

The special pantry night was a huge success. The school sent a lot of communication and marketing upfront to the families. Tables, set up like a mini grocery store, were spread out for families to come and make selections. The tables were filled with items ranging from foods to winter coats and hats.