KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Second Harvest of East Tennessee has embarked on a special project to serve children in the area.
The School Pantry at Maynard Elementary School at 737 College Street held its grand opening Thursday.
The pantry provides staple items they can use to stretch their monthly budgets. Families can 'shop' for free food once a month during distributions, even during the summer to help keep those students fed.
The School Pantry is a collaboration with schools that have agreed to host food distributions after school hours, like a traditional food pantry. This pantry differs in that it targets families with school-aged children and those in outlying counties that are underserved through other programs.
"We want to make sure our kids are fed and all those lower needs are met before they even walk through our doors," Maynard Elementary Principal Dexter Murphy said. "So this is a great opportunity to make sure were doing that for our families."