At Willow Creek Charter School, we would like to help our students learn more about giving back to others by gathering food donations for a local food bank. It is our hope that by actively engaging our students in this activity, it will help to instill lifelong character traits of empathy and compassion for others that are important for a successful society.
We will be collecting donations at the school starting November 2nd and ending December 15th. The food bank has provided a list of the Top Ten Most Wanted Food Drive Items below; however, any donations given will be greatly appreciated.
Peanut Butter
Macaroni and Cheese
Tuna fish and other canned meats
Pasta
Tomato sauce
Powdered milk
Canned fruits
Canned soups
Canned vegetables
Canned beans
Thank you!
Willow Creek Charter School has been giving food to Prescott’s Community Cupboard for several years. The Community Cupboard is currently providing food to about 1,400 individuals each month. Their clients receive 12 nutritionally-balanced meals for each family member each time they are approved for food.
Community Snapshot
Is there really a need for a food bank in Prescott? What does the Community Cupboard accomplish? Here’s where you can find out answers to those and other questions.
The need:
What is food insecurity? According to the USDA, it is a lack of access to enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle.
Arizona unfortunately boasts the 10th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, and the 3rd highest rate of child food insecurity. Over a quarter of the children living in Yavapai County are food insecure; that’s more than 10,000 children in our county alone who do not have reliable access to enough nutritious food. And, despite the fact that from 2010 to 2011 Arizona’s number of unemployed persons decreased even more than the national average (12% statewide as opposed to 7% nationally), our number of persons in poverty increased during that time by 10%. There are individuals and families out there who are still just struggling to get by.
What they do:
Since 1973, they have been providing groceries to empower households to create their own “healthy, active lifestyle.” One bag from the Cupboard provides enough shelf-stable food to create 12 nutritionally balanced meals per household member. It can be used to exclusively feed a household for four days, or it can supplement their other food, adding the fruit, vegetables, and protein that would otherwise be difficult for a food-insecure household to have in every meal.
Current giving (as of June 2015):
They currently provide groceries to about 1400 individuals each month. Over one-third of those individuals are children; the average number of families per month is 321. Community Cupboard also provides to about 11 homeless households each month. In 2014, we provided 196,104 meals.
