Teenage students in Merrill whose families face food insecurity will have one more place to turn for help, thanks to a $1,500 Catalyst Grant from the Wisconsin Conference that will be used to stock a new food pantry at Merrill High School. St. Stephens UCC in Merrill was the grant recipient.
The project addresses a gap in the community’s existing safety net. By the time students reach high school, they’ve aged out of other food programs. “Sometimes, there’s a public perception that a 16-year-old can work and have the things they need,” said Trisha Kubichek, a social worker at Merrill High. “The expectations are a little higher for providing for themselves.” About two-thirds of students in Merrill’s public schools are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, she said.
The project’s potential long-term impact is significant: Better-fed students, who don’t have to worry about their next meal, are better able to learn and achieve in the classroom.
Often, the students most affected by food insecurity have problems at home. “(The project) started with a young woman whose mother had depression and schizophrenia,” St. Stephens Pastor Mike Southcombe said. The student had accompanied a member of St. Stephens’ youth group to help bag food for elementary schoolers whose families didn’t have enough to make it through the weekend. “This girl is bagging food for fifth-graders, but she didn’t have food for herself for the weekend,” he said. “My youth group member said, ‘Talk to Pastor Mike.’”
Mike contacted Trisha, and the project was born. Together, they’ve brought together administrators from the high school, student volunteers who will manage the pantry, the staff of Merrill’s Community Food Pantry and other partners.
The pantry organizers are respectful of students’ dignity. “It is difficult for people to go to a food pantry and say, ‘I need help,’” Trisha said. Help becomes “a bit more normalized” when it comes through school,” she said. “I will try to contact parents to make sure they’re comfortable.”
The student leaders, meanwhile, will be learning practical skills like budgeting and inventory management and keeping up with a simple spreadsheet. More important, Trisha said, “We’re hoping to teach them the importance of giving back.”