With the help of St. Leo’s Food Connection, IDEA High School is taking steps to address food insecurity among students and their families.

Last spring, IDEA partnered with St. Leo’s Food Connection to launch the IDEA Food Pantry, a welcoming space where students can pick up fresh produce, meats, dairy products, snacks, and other non-perishable items.

Under the guidance and leadership of school social worker Linda Seferian, the pantry program has flourished into a much-needed resource for the school community.

Thoughtful process from start to finish
Each Wednesday, just as the school day begins to wind down, the pantry comes to life. St. Leo’s Food Connection delivers a weekly shipment of food, driven by delivery co-coordinator Matthew Bak. Student volunteers gather to help unload boxes and organize the space to prepare to open the pantry.

Val, a student volunteer who has been with the pantry since the very beginning, writes the menu on a whiteboard outside the door so visitors know what to expect before they step inside. Before shopping, students answer a couple of brief questions about household size and zip code, which helps St. Leo’s Food Connection better understand and serve the community’s needs.

The pantry opens as the dismissal bell rings, and students are welcomed by the pantry volunteers with warm smiles and friendly greetings. Student volunteer Drake offers a bag to each visitor and makes sure to say “have a great day” as each student leaves.  

Any food not taken by the pantry shoppers that day is stored in the pantry for future use, shared with neighboring food assistance programs, or returned to St. Leo’s Food Connection.

Small space, big impact
Nearly a year into the partnership, the IDEA Food Pantry continues to grow, now serving around 60 student households each week.  

“We started the pantry near the end of last school year, and since then we have doubled the number of students we serve each week,” Seferian said.

For Drake, the pantry has had a personal impact. He noted that working with the pantry has supported his efforts to learn how to cook, giving him access to ingredients and inspiration to try new meals at home.

Val said that the stigma around receiving food assistance is a big challenge, but direct outreach to students and word-of-mouth have made a difference in reducing that stigma.

By creating a supportive environment, the students have transformed the pantry into more than just a place to get food. It’s a place of care, dignity and community.

Special thanks to the people who made this program possible: St Leo’s Food Connection, Linda Seferian, Special Education Teacher Rachel Skye, McKinney Vento Housing Navigator Rupika Madhaven, and the IDEA student volunteers.