Oil City Schools Partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank to Create Food Pantry

| January 6, 2018

OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) – The Oil City Middle School/High School is partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank to create a food pantry for the students at the school.

(Photo of the food pantry at Oil City Middle/High School. Submitted photo.)

According to Angie Harriett, Reading Specialist at the Middle School and the middle school coordinator of the project, Oil City Middle School and High School currently have a 68 percent free and reduced lunch population.

“These students often go hungry over weekends and long breaks,” Harriet said. “This food pantry will not interfere with any additional help these students’ families receive or take away from their families’ ability to visit any other local agencies’ food pantry. This is specially designed to feed our middle and high school students and their families.”

Oil City Middle School and Oil City High School already provide a free clothes closet to needy students called Pay it Forward. Students can take clothing they need such as hygiene and winter items, dresses for special occasions, and everyday clothing for free.

“In return, they ‘Pay It Forward’ in kindness toward another person, such as inviting a lonely student to the lunch table or assisting another during class,” Harriet said. “The closet has become a significant part of the school climate to make our students happy, healthy, and successful both in and out of our classrooms. The addition of the food pantry has allowed us to take our ‘Pay it Forward’ mission one step further in helping our neediest students.”

So far, the program has partnered with Bridge Builders and Second Harvest to raise over $10,000.00 for local businesses and individuals to start the program, according to Harriett.

“It is the first of its kind in Venango County,” Shontz-Harriett said. “We received our first order December 20, and it’s already a very successful project.”

Joining Harriett in coordinating the program at Oil City is Shannon Witmer, who serves as the high school coordinator. Teachers and administrators at Oil City who are helping with the project include Lauren Stoltz, Joy Zuck, Tracey Demonaco, and Sara Haupt.

Any of those individuals can be contacted by students or parents in the community about accessing the store, according to Harriet.

While money is already being raised, more will be needed to continue the program.

“We will have to continue to raise money through grants and sponsors every year to keep it running,” Harriett said. “If anyone would like to contribute to the ongoing success of this project, checks can be made out to Bridge Builders, Inc. with OCMS/OCHS in the memo.”

Also, anyone interested in donating money or food to the new program or clothing and other items to the Pay it Forward program should contact the Oil City Middle School at 814-676-5702 or high school at 814-676-2771 and ask for one of the above-mentioned individuals.

Donations so far have come from the following businesses and individuals:

  • Eagles Club of Oil City
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars of Oil City
  • Fryburg Sportsman’s Club
  • Farmers National Bank in Seneca
  • Grace United Methodist Church
  • IPEG
  • Hoss’s
  • Edward Jones
  • Pulaski National Alliance of Oil City
  • Slippery Rock University
  • Clarion University
  • Ella Shontz
  • Ed and Patti Shontz
  • Linda Wrhen
  • Sarah Margherio
  • Elizabeth Gilger
  • Kathleen Peek
  • Rob Fox
  • Marylee Tharp
  • Jane Leeper Bablak
  • Nicole Bracken
  • Jessica Rudegeair
  • Cheryl Adams

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    Category: Community, Local News, News, Oil City, Schools