Dallas is in the midst of a homelessness and affordable housing crisis, and not every child looks forward to a snow day or holiday break from school. That’s because school might be the only place where they can count on nutritious meals.
The Parent Teacher Association at Lipscomb Elementary School took notice of the growing number of hungry children and modeled its “Lipscomb Peace Pantry” after a program at Woodrow Wilson High School.
Local real estate agents Nancy Wilson with Coldwell Banker Lakewood and Elizabeth Mast with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty couldn’t wait to donate to the good cause.
The Lipscomb Peace Pantry will be handing out 80 food bags, called “Lion Packs,” to elementary school students on March 7 ahead of the spring break week that begins March 11.
Lipscomb Peace Pantry
Louise Bexley, vice president of the Lipscomb Elementary PTA, co-chairs the Peace Pantry Committee. The school food pantry was initiated in 2016 as a branch of the existing operation at Woodrow Wilson High School.
At Woodrow, students shop in the on-site pantry and take what they need, Bexley said.
“The way we’ve found it works with our family is we send home a bag on a Friday, and it’s supplemental food to get them through the weekend,” she said. “I can’t imagine if you’re food insecure and you’re hungry how you could be learning. It makes such a difference. There are no questions asked. You don’t do any red tape with income. I don’t need to know your street address. If you sign up, you get a bag.”
About 420 students are enrolled at Lipscomb Elementary, and 75 take home a bag every week.
Special supplemented food bags are distributed annually at Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, and at the end of the year.
“DISD does a great job with their free lunch program,” Bexley said. “But these scheduled breaks are a long time to go where you don’t have access to those free meals.”
The spring break bags include a $10 gift card that can be used for fresh meat or produce, along with things like pasta, bread, and barbecue sauce.
“We try to do one meal, a bunch of snacks, and about once a month we send home peanut butter and jelly,” Bexley said. “We do instant oatmeal packages, instant macaroni, cereal, small things that we know a kid can access if for some reason a parent isn’t around. We never know how much supervision someone is going to have. It’s definitely supplemental. It’s not meant to be a replacement.”
The pantry sends home a can opener for bag recipients at the beginning of the year and surveys the families on whether they have access to a microwave and stovetop.
“We want to send home food that they’re going to eat,” Bexley said. “There’s really no stigma at our school. In fact, we have a volunteer who used to receive a bag and her circumstances changed, and now she packs bags. Every single year, we have a faculty member, whether it be a custodian or a [teacher’s assistant], somebody is taking a bag home themselves. They’re working all day and they’re working really hard … we don’t ask questions. If you need the bag and you’re willing to take it, we want you to have it.”
Realtors Give Back
According to U.S. News & World Report, about 63 percent of Dallas ISD students are eligible for the federal free and reduced-price meal program.
Elizabeth Mast, a real estate agent and owner of East Dallas boutique Talulah and Hess, said the matter of hungry children is close to her heart.
“The schools are my baby,” Mast said. “I don’t have any kids, so I’m a huge supporter of Lipscomb as it is. You don’t realize how many children don’t have access to regular meals when they’re not in school.”
Coldwell Banker agent Nancy Wilson’s Live Local Group does a food drive at the beginning of the year, and all the donations are split among the Dallas ISD Peace Pantries.
Donors who provide a food bag for the spring break event are entered into a raffle, and Talulah and Hess is giving away a set of Estelle glasses and hydrangeas every month for a year. Mast also has agreed to provide the supplies or funding for a matching 80 food bags, she said.
The Lipscomb Elementary School PTA budget is about $12,000 per year, and each spring break bag costs at least $25. Cash donations and items via Amazon and Walmart wish lists are welcome, and the PTA relies on the support of its donors.
Sign up to volunteer or receive a Lion Pack here.
