Each year, the need for food increases in Davis County – particularly for students who often go home for the weekend with little or nothing to eat. The Pantry Pack program coordinated with the Bountiful Food Pantry addresses that need, and it’s fueled by donations from individuals and volunteers.

Such was the case when members of the South Centerville Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with the pantry to assemble 2,000 pantry packs on Tuesday.

 “This event is special because we are in desperate need of pantry packs,” said Rebekah Anderson, executive director of the Bountiful Food Pantry.  “I had a very sweet gentleman call me a couple of weeks ago and he said, ‘Rebekah, what can I do to help?’ I told him we needed pantry packs, and he said, ‘A check’s in the mail.’”

That donation from an individual who wishes to remain anonymous helped pay for the food and supplies needed to assemble the packets, once volunteers could be found. That’s where the stake members stepped in as part of a humanitarian effort they conduct every Tuesday.

“They said they were willing to partner with our pantry,” Anderson said. “This is a really good mesh of a whole lot of people putting their resources together.”

She said the need for the pantry packs grows each year. Right now, the Davis School District is giving out about 3,600 of them a week, going to every school in the district except one. She expects the program will give out over 130,000 of these packs this school year.

“The teachers and leaders in these schools see kids who don’t have appropriate food or clothing, and whose parents are probably already working extra jobs to make ends meet. So being able to make sure these kids don’t go hungry on the weekend is huge.”

Anderson said that 27 percent of the students enrolled in Davis District schools qualify for free or reduced lunch. That means more than one in four students are at risk for food insecurity, and that doesn’t include others who may qualify but didn’t apply.

Most of the schools give the pantry packs to students on Fridays as the weekend begins. They are designed for all ages from kindergarten through 12th grade, and contain foods that even the youngest can prepare.

They include Easy Mac macaroni and cheese, always a favorite with kids; packets of oatmeal – strawberry or maple, apple sauce, granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, and a little drink mix. Each also has a note with a happy message offering the student encouragement, and the contents are put into Ziploc bags. All of the items are non-perishable. Anderson said the contents cost about $2.89, which is huge. 

“We’ve put a lot of work into making sure that it’s not only something kids will eat but that it’s also affordable to the donor,” she said, adding that some counties have programs where their pantry packs can run $7 or $8 apiece. Lots of the food comes from Costco and Sam’s Club which sells to the pantry at a reduced price.

Stake missionaries from the church help out greatly with setting up the tables for pantry pack assembly, and making sure the bags are sealed and delivered back to the pantry. 

On Oct. 26, volunteers working under direction of the Layton Mission of the church held an event at the Lifetime Products warehouse in the Freeport Center. Anderson said that event yielded 10,000 pantry packs.

All of the finished packs are sent to the Davis School District for distribution to various schools.

Donations are always welcomed and appreciated at the food pantry. You can find out more on its website at https://bountifulfoodpantry.org/ λ