Filling in the Blanks and Bear Essentials are two of the many non-profit organizations dedicated to ensuring that low-income families have regular access to meals. In just the state of New York, 12.2% of families experience food insecurity, based on data from research presented by the USDA Economic Research Service as a 2021 to 2023 average. Subsequently, many children struggle to have regular meals in our community. With Mrs. Sarah Barnes, teacher of the Career Skills class states, our mission for Brewster is to “feed kids who have struggles at home.”
Starting with receiving food donations from Amazon, Mrs. Sarah Barnes and Mrs. Donna Schneider began their mission to combat food insecurity, particularly in Brewster, through the creation of Bear Essentials. With Bear Essentials, families can apply through Parent Square or with the recommendation from BCSD social workers to receive food packs once a month. Donations come from Brewster Rotary, Brewster Elks, the Extended Family, and United Way, providing essentials such as food, hygiene, and cleaning supplies. Any monetary proceeds to the program are used in Acme Markets to purchase necessary items for contribution. Career Skills students portion and package these items for pick up at the high school. Overall, Bear Essentials supports over 1,000 families in need.
Also dedicated to removing the obstacle of food insecurity, Filling in the Blanks, an organization founded in 2013 by Shawnee Knight and Tina Kramer, has a mission closely aligned with Brewster’s. This nonprofit organization operates as a food pantry and currently serves 200 sites. Brewster first partnered with Filling in the Blanks on July 8th of this year. Filling in the Blanks provides Four meals that can feed a child over the course of the weekend. At the end of each week, students are able to pick up a packaged bag of food prepared for them in advance. Currently, all families of the Brewster Central School District can register to receive one bag of food per child, which are available for pickup at CV Starr or the Brewster Library. Each child can choose between 3 different menus:
- Option 1: milk, Gatorade, rice and beans, canned chicken, mac and cheese, yogurt, fruit cup, applesauce, cookies, goldfish and oatmeal packets
- Option 2: milk, Gatorade, can of tuna, corn, mac and cheese, yogurt, fruit cup, applesauce, cookies, goldfish and pancake packets
- Option 3: milk, Gatorade, spaghetti and sauce, can of soup, corn, yogurt, fruit cup, applesauce, cookies, goldfish and oatmeal packets
Once a month, a hygiene bag is also sent home. As part of preparation, the Career Skills students work in the back of room 105, in a makeshift pantry shelving all of the food and hygiene items during internship periods. Over the course of the summer, the Career Skills class bagged and fed between 55 and 65 students a week. To date, they are now feeding over 120 children a week.
Brewster recently traveled to one of the many events Filling in the Blanks offers. On October 19th, a group of 15 students registered for transportation, provided by the school, to their mobile food pantry event in Stamford. Want to get involved on the next one? More opportunities will soon be available for your participation. Email Mrs. Barnes ([email protected]) and Mrs. Schneider ([email protected]) should you have any questions or are interested in volunteering!
