Minerva Park Middle School pantry provides food for students to get through the weekend

The carts were lined up in the lunchroom at Minerva Park Middle School in the Westerville school district as they are every Friday — their racks packed with cans of soup and beans, boxes of macaroni and cheese, packages of ramen noodles, Reese's Puffs cereal and more.

But they weren't for that's day's student lunches. They were for a group of about 45 needy students to take home for the weekend, as part of the school's Panther Pantry.

"It gives students food items to have at home to get them through" the weekend, said Jill Huck, a Minerva Park counselor.

Huck said 66% of the students at the middle school, which is located on Farview Drive south of Route 161 in Blendon Township, are eligible for free and reduced meals. Some students eat breakfast and lunch at school, and that's their food for the day, she said.

"A lot of people are unaware of the needs. These are your neighbors," Huck said. "One of our main goals is just to reduce the stigma of kids needing extra food at home."

Within the middle school's boundaries are Minerva Park in Blendon Township and neighborhoods in Westerville and Columbus' Northeast Side, including the well-to-do Little Turtle neighborhood. The middle school's students feed into both Westerville North and Westerville Central high schools.

In working with food service manager Lauri Jones, the school's staff members work to put together food items that students would not only like, but could also prepare themselves.

"Kids will eat ramen three times a day," Jones said.

As the youths choose their items, they are given instructions on how to make the macaroni and cheese or prepare the ramen noodles they select.

Huck said some students prepare food for younger siblings. "We're giving them ideas as to what goes together," she said.

Bethany Hendricks, a social worker at the school, said that if students ask about the Panther Pantry program, she will show them how it works. She also sometimes visits homes.

The Westerville Area Resource Ministry (W.A.R.M.) contributes to the program, as does Westerville Christian Church and others, Huck said.

On Friday, a sixth-grade boy who was new to the program was asked what he likes to eat as he lined up. Like many kids, he responded, "snacks."

He and the other students were given bags, and they then got to pick what they wanted from the racks.

"How about some oatmeal for breakfast?" Jones asked the newcomer.

"No," he responded.

Hendricks showed him the instructions on a box of macaroni and cheese, while Jones went over the directions on a box of brownie mix.

"I'll see you next week, buddy," Jones told him as he left with a snowman bag full of items.

The pantry's racks also include items such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and hair picks. Jones said students are encouraged to change toothbrushes every three months.

"They love ChapSticks," said school counselor Sam Cross, who checks the students in as they arrive at the pantry and starts them off with an Oreo and Jolly Ranchers candies.

The school also has a room called Panther Place, where students can pick up toiletries, clothes, shoes (including cleats), hijab pins — the school has Somali students — and other items during the day.

Huck said the goal is to grow the programs.

"This is about how we can provide for more families," she said.

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Minerva Park Middle School pantry provides weekend food for students