LYNN — Connery Elementary School hosted its monthly food pantry on Thursday afternoon for its students and their families.
Connery, located at 50 Elm St., is the only school in Lynn that hosts a monthly food pantry for its community.
Since 2014, The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) has worked with Connery to provide a variety of foods to families in need at the school. The pantry occurs on the last Thursday of each month, from 2 to 3 p.m. and is usually in the gym, but due to COVID-19, it is now held outside in the parking lot.
This is a free, farmers’ market-style distribution in which families can fill bags with fresh vegetables and fruits, snacks, dairy products and meats.
Connery School Principal Glenda Colon said that this year, they have been serving between 150 and 180 families each month.
“It’s doubled in size with the amount of families that we see now,” Colon said, referring to the last year since the pandemic began.
GBFB is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and is one of the largest food banks in the country, distributing around 98.8 million pounds of nutritious food to people who are in need.
Participants can bring their own bags, or use bags and boxes provided, and fill them up with any of the available food that they desire. Some items, such as eggs, may be limited to one-per-family if there isn’t a large quantity in the shipment that day.
With the pandemic, they have had to make some adjustments, such as moving from the gym to the parking lot.
“We knew about the pandemic. We had a meeting with our superintendent, and we spoke about how food scarcity is a really big issue in our community,” Colon said. “So we sat down and talked about a plan to make it safe for people in the community to come.”
They now socially distance families before checking them in, provide hand sanitizer prior to entering the parking lot and require everyone to wear masks.
The pantry runs each month, unless there is a snow storm on that day. Otherwise, in rain, cold weather, or even if the parking lot has snow in it, Connery still hosts the food pantry.
Colon said that families will call and ask about the date and express interest in participating.
Teachers and faculty at Connery volunteer their time after school to assist with the set-up, distribution and clean-up of the food and tables.
“We’ve always had an abundance of staff members who volunteer,” Colon said. “So we haven’t felt a shortage of need because we talk about the need of our families and how important this is. Everyone’s just willing to participate.”
Colon said that sometimes people will walk by and see what they’re doing and ask for food. Although the food pantry is organized for students and their families, they will not turn down a neighbor or passerby. When the families have dispersed and there is food left over, Connery’s social worker, Candice Manzi, brings it to the shelter in Lynn.
Students haven’t been physically in the building since March 12 of last year. Volunteers said it’s awesome to get to see some of their kids in person and check in with them at these monthly food pantries.
“Sometimes you can’t recognize them with their masks on,” said Colon. “It’s so great to see them not in this little box on a screen.”
She said that the kids always make an effort to come with their parents and see their teachers.
This food pantry is an opportunity for the Connery school community to come together and help with the changes and adjustments that this pandemic has brought. Colon said that she has grown a passion for the food pantry and that it has improved her engagement with the families, being one of the few accessible people in attendance who speaks Spanish.
Manzi says that some families rely and look forward to this every month. She hopes that this food pantry supplies families with what they need for the month until the next pantry.
“I have definitely seen more people attend since the pandemic,” said Manzi. “Families can take as much as they want.”
She said that the Greater Boston Food Bank will deliver a variety of foods each month, including perishables and non-perishables, and it changes depending on what they have available.
The next food pantry is scheduled for March 25. Any changes will be communicated with the families via text or call prior to the event.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].