A School Food Pantry Brings Fresh Produce and Fresh Hope

Published On: October 31st, 2024By Categories: Partnerships, Resources6.2 min read

It’s a cloudy, overcast day in Imperial Beach. But standing out against the gray sky are two brightly colored pop-up tents. These two tents mark the new school food pantry at Berry Elementary School. As parents drop off their kids, volunteers set up a variety of nutritious food, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Generously funded by Feeding San Diego supporters Matthew and Lindsay Enyedi, this school pantry will serve both families that attend Berry and members of the surrounding community. Twice a month, parents and community members can pick up fresh produce and pantry staples to bring home, with no questions asked and at no cost to them.

Community members lined up to receive food at the Berry Elementary school food pantry

Berry Elementary’s new school food pantry

Identifying the Need

Berry Elementary School is located just blocks from the Tijuana River Valley in the South Bay Union School District. Like many other districts, South Bay Union is grappling with the rising cost of living.

“We have a huge declining enrollment in our school district. People can’t afford to live here. People are moving out for cheaper places,” explains Joe Prosapio, Berry’s principal. “A lot of our families are living in government-subsidized apartments and working two jobs, or they’re single-parent households where someone giving them a hundred bucks in groceries makes a huge difference.”

A man in a tie stands in front of two pop-up tents

Joe Prosapio, principal of Berry Elementary

Before COVID, Berry regularly held a food distribution, but it was one of many resources lost during the early years of the pandemic. As principal, Joe has been working hard to bring those services back.

“I’m starting my third year here as principal, and I got a lot of feedback from the community and the staff that we used to have this [distribution] pre-COVID, so this was something I started since last year trying to bring back,” Joe says.

It was clear that Berry needed a school food pantry. But to launch a new pantry, Feeding San Diego first had to find a donor who would sponsor it.

Enter the Enyedis

As long-time Feeding San Diego supporters, Matthew and Lindsay Enyedi have many reasons for their strong connection to the organization’s mission, but hearing about the power of school pantries inspired them to increase their support.

A man and a woman hold a blue Feeding San Diego tote back at a school pantry

Matthew and Lindsay Enyedi at the Berry Elementary School Food Pantry

“We’ve helped with Feeding San Diego a number of times over the years,” Matthew shares. “We attended a Feeding San Diego dinner event a couple of years ago and were introduced to the school pantry program.  What struck me was the number of kids who face food insecurity and homelessness in our local schools.  These kids are trying to get educated and don’t have the nutrients they need to think and learn and grow.”

“It breaks my heart to think about kids that don’t have access to food or may be going hungry at home,” Lindsay adds.

After hearing about Feeding San Diego’s plans to expand the School Pantry Program, the Enyedis knew they needed to be involved.

“It really inspired us to help and see what we could do to take a little bit of the burden off of these families so that they can actually have an opportunity to get the education they need and deserve,” Matthew explains. “They’ve already got so many challenges in front of them; where the next meal is coming from doesn’t have to be one of them.”

And with their support, the Berry Elementary School food pantry was restored.

Nourishing a Community

It’s early Monday morning, but volunteers cheerfully lay out fresh produce and pantry staples. Despite being the first distribution, a line of community members quickly forms. Joe admires the selection as he helps volunteers.

“When we opened up the boxes, stuff looked so fresh and so good,” he says. “Kids often have the fastest meals, the quickest stuff, the dollar mac and cheese, and then they’re coming to school without energy, or their brains aren’t functioning properly. So, just making sure the kids in our community have nutritious food and good meals, then they come ready to learn.”

The Enyedis agree with Joe’s assessment of the selection.

“I love that about Feeding San Diego,” Lindsay shares. “I’m a big nutrition advocate. And at Feeding San Diego, their goal is not only to provide people with food, but with nutritious choices. I think exposing kids to healthy options at a young age can make such a difference for how they will continue to eat for the rest of their lives.”

“What you guys put out there actually is of high-quality substance,” Matt adds. “You see the people getting ready to go, and you know that some folks are going to eat better this week than they did last week, and that certainly brings a smile to my face.”

Jessica, a parent with two kids at Berry, expresses her excitement about the produce.

A woman holds a blue Feeding San Diego tote filled with fresh produce

Jessica with the food she received at the pantry

“It’s really helpful right now because everything’s so expensive, especially vegetables,” she says. “That’s my priority goal: to stay healthy at home. Right now, the only thing that we can afford is either junk food or something not that healthy. So, I’m here for the vegetables. This is a really great help, and it is just a relief to have someone that cares about people that are struggling to make it on their own day by day.”

Providing More Than Food

As the first Berry Elementary school food pantry draws to a close, it’s clear that this distribution offered more than food to the school community.

“People call me a hopeless optimist,” Joe jokes as the last food is handed out. “Like, I always think everybody does the right thing. But really, unfortunately, that’s not true. So, people that do step up and say, ‘We have a little extra; what’s something we can do? We want to make sure kids have good food.’ Because often, with food stamps and whatnot, the help sometimes is the cheapest food or the fastest food. For someone to step up and say, ‘We’ll provide the money it takes to make sure other children get good food.’ That’s really what our world needs is more of that.”

A Lasting Impact

Opening a new school pantry is a logistical feat. Many factors determine whether a new distribution will succeed, from staff to volunteers to funds to food. Then, there’s the work of keeping it running once it opens. Fortunately, the Enyedis have made a long-term commitment. They’ve agreed to fund the Berry Elementary School Pantry for the next three years. This generous commitment helps guarantee that families like Jessica’s will have consistent access to nutritious food in a place that’s familiar to them and easy to access.

Without partners like Berry Elementary and the incredible compassion and support of the Enyedis, it would not have been possible to provide lasting nutrition to the community for years to come. Feeding San Diego is working to remove all schools from its School Pantry Program waitlist. Currently, there are about 20 schools still waiting to have a pantry of their own. If you’d like to learn more about how to support the School Pantry Program expansion, please contact Ali Colbran, senior director of development, at 858.500.7799 or email her at acolbran@feedingsandiego.org.