DISTRICT UPDATES
BY AUBREY GOUGH FOOD SERVICE DIRECTOR DEKALB COUNTY CENTRAL SCHOOLS
In the height of the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic, DeKalb High School food service employees started to notice how much of a need there was for food at home. Instead of sitting around hoping for something to be done to help students in need, they took initiative to help on their own. After talking to some of the students who expressed their lack of food at home, and finding out what exactly they needed, the staff at DeKalb High School took a collection of shelf- stable food amongst themselves to send home. However, they didn’t stop there. Recognizing that this was a bigger need than just a couple of students, they started working on a food pantry. For the first year, the DHS Food Pantry was stocked by our own employees. This dedicated group fed families primarily on their own. Then the students got involved. Last year, for two dances, the fee to get in was canned goods. This year, however, it has really taken off! The homecoming court decided that whoever won king and queen would donate to a charity of their choice. This year’s king donated $1818 to the DHS food pantry! Then even more students got involved. The National Honors Society students did a food drive and gave it all to the food pantry. Other dances and classes have also contributed. The result is outstanding! The
high school currently has three shelving units completely full of non-perishable foods for those in need to take home on Fridays. How do they get the food you ask? The DHS kitchen manager created a Google form order guide. This way students can request food for the weekend without the prying eyes and ears of their peers. The order form, along with their name and grade, asks how many members are in the family, if they have any allergies, what cooking methods they have at home, and how much of a need for food they have. On Friday afternoons, the cafeteria staff bag up the food based on the students’ order forms and then the students are able to go down to the cafeteria to pick up their bags before they go home for the day. The order forms also help the staff know what items they need more of and are able to make a grocery run as needed to get more of those popular items. This act of kindness is great on its own, but seeing the student body get involved in stocking the shelves, as well as encouraging those they notice struggling to reach out and get that help, truly warms my heart. Nothing could make me more proud to be a DeKalb Baron.
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