Larkmoor Elementary adds resource pantry for families

LORAIN — After returning from winter break, Larkmoor Elementary became the latest Lorain school to add a food and hygiene pantry for families to its list of resources, joining Jacinto, Garfield and Washington elementaries. The Lark's Nest took over a supply closet off a break room in the eastside building, filling it with boxed mashed potatoes, pasta and shelf-stable snacks for children to take home for the evenings and weekends. School counselor Zoey Vargo and teacher Kimberly Bertram set up the pantry after attending a fundraiser for the Wee Care Closet in Sheffield. Wee Care provides clothing, shoes, school supplies and other necessities to families in need throughout Lorain County. While at the fundraiser, a representative from Second Century Council, another nonprofit, approached the pair about starting a pantry in the elementary building. "We got lucky enough to get them to come here," Vargo said while packing a bag for a student. Two weeks ago, the Second Century Council dropped off food to get the pantry going and, even with multiple snow days mixed in, the need has been nearly non-stop since the school announced the resource to families. Vargo estimated they have sent home about 75 meals' worth of food to 10 different families in the past two weeks. Each bag contains several days worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner items for entire families — so if a student is in a household of seven people, Vargo and Bertram pack enough bags to feed all seven individuals for three-to-four days. They also pack smaller, drawstring bags so students can discreetly carry items home in case there is a concern an older sibling or relative will take the food from them, they said. "When the SNAP benefits and everything started to close from the government, students and families were reaching out," Bertram said. "And this was even before we started the pantry (we would hear) 'is there anything other than Second Harvest?' … There's parents who don't have cars who can't make it to Second Harvest." Hearing families and students were in need, they jumped at the chance to open the Lark's Nest Pantry, Bertram said. Alongside Second Century Council's donation, the pair received winter clothing donations and holiday presents for each child from Wee Care. Word of mouth has helped students know the pantry is available, and staff and community members start to bring donations in for Vargo and Bertram to give away. Beyond the shelf-stable food, a portion of the pantry is dedicated to hygiene products, including soap, shampoo and conditioner, feminine hygiene and laundry supplies. Ultimately, the pair hope to add a small refrigerator to the space to accommodate frozen foods and the ability to offer cleaning supplies — a much-requested item. The Lark's Nest Pantry is open to families of Larkmoor Elementary students. For more information, including how to donate supplies to the Lark's Nest, contact Vargo at zvargo@lorainschools.org. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.