Warrior Pantry seeking donations

Provided.

THS Teacher Amber Dickinson in the Warrior Pantry.

As anyone who has raised teenagers knows, they love being with their friends, and it seems like they are always hungry! Keeping teenagers fed can be a challenge for any family under normal circumstances, but for families facing food insecurities, the challenge can be almost overwhelming, especially with rising food costs and uncertain economic situations.

To help support local students at Tehachapi High School, the Rotary Club of Tehachapi sponsors the Warrior Pantry, a food pantry located at Tehachapi High School to help students experiencing food insecurity. Rotary spearheaded the effort, first by collecting donations from members, then organizing "A Concert for a Cause" featuring local musician James Lee Stanley, which raised almost $7,000. The proceeds from the concert go directly to purchase food for the pantry.

Although Rotarians still make weekly donations of pantry staples, there may be gaps in the inventory, so the funds from the concert are used to purchase necessary food. In addition, the Warrior Pantry was not accessible during the summer months, so the Rotary Club purchased food cards to give to families so they could buy groceries to feed their children. Other local organizations and businesses have also contributed to the pantry by purchasing inventory and equipment.

The Warrior Pantry is supervised by two teachers at Tehachapi High School, Todd Morrison and Amber Dickinson. It is currently open during lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays, and there are up to 45 students accessing the pantry on those days. In addition to food supplies, the pantry also has hygiene products and laundry supplies. As some students also experience housing instability, Amber explained, "Some kids need small sizes of toiletries, because they are basically living out of their backpacks. So we keep full size and travel size hygiene products on hand to meet a student's individual needs."

She also emphasized, "We make the students aware that this pantry has been paid for and donated by others, and employees give of their time to make these resources available to them. We remind the students to always be appreciative and respectful, and only take what they actually need." Their positive approach has worked well, and the students are very thankful to have this support.

Keeping the Warrior Pantry sustainable requires ongoing contributions, so donations of shelf-stable food and hygiene products are greatly appreciated. The Warrior Pantry is always in need of peanut butter, jelly, sandwich bread, cereal, ramen noodles, canned soups, stew, chili, boxed side dishes, snack items, canned fruit/ vegetables, shelf-stable milk and toiletries for males and females.

If you are interested in helping, donations can be dropped off at The Loop newspaper office, 206 S. Green St., or at Kelcy's Restaurant, 110 W. Tehachapi Blvd.

The Tehachapi Rotary Club meets at noon every Thursday at Kelcy's. Rotary is committed to "Service Above Self," and devotes time and resources to projects in the local community, scholarships for college-bound high school seniors and supporting global efforts for polio eradication. For more information about the Rotary Club, you can visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubofTehachapi/.