About the Nonprofit
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The Pantry Plus More began as a high school project when Roark was greatly disturbed by the rising number of children coming in for a hot meal often by themselves. After much brainstorming, he landed on the concept of in-school pantries after reading an article about some students and their principals having a snack closet for other students. Roark's vision was stocking pantries inside of schools where kids would have transportation to get the basic resources they needed and the ability to get them home. The pantries would be stocked with non-perishable food, hygiene products including feminine hygiene, school supplies and clothing. To use the services, students would merely have to let a teacher, counselor or administrator know they would like to "shop" at the pantry. All items would be free. Students could help themselves to whatever they needed and because they could visit the pantry privately and make their own choices, dignity would be preserved.
Today, we are in 12 schools and growing. We have been able to provide fresh produce at least once a month. We hold an annual Back to School Bash allowing kids to shop for their backpacks and every school supply they need, a full set of hygiene products, and haircuts. We provide clothing, food, dental exams and eye exams.
Our entire purpose is to give children every opportunity to focus on learning, growing and developing.
