The Cove: A Food Pantry, Clothing Bank, and More!
Adam Steiner
Some winter coats that The Cove has stocked up.
October 12, 2017
The school Social Services Coordinator Kara Vojcsik has created The Cove in room 11, a place where students can come to talk about their emotions, to receive food or clothing, and much more.
Vojcsik started The Cove in the beginning of the summer and has continued to work to create a functioning space through the first marking period.
In order to ensure success of The Cove, Vojcsik relies heavily on a lot of help, such as donations from the community as well as money from the Sunshine Fund to purchase some of the goods and supplies that it gives out.
“The Sunshine Fund is a fund that is used to help meet the needs of students of SESD –these may include but are not limited to: gas money, rent, vaccinations, shoes, dance tickets, sports equipment, etc.,” said Vojcsik.
Community members and students can also donate food and pantry items like non-perishables and household necessities. These kinds of donations are in high demand, as most people don’t know they can donate laundry detergent or toothpaste.
As for clothing, The Cove only accepts donations from district staff in order to be certain of cleanliness.
School organizations can also help raise funds or donations for The Cove. For example, Aevidum’s lip-sync contest helps to collect canned foods which go to The Cove. In February, the Alliance club plans to have a fundraiser called “Sweets for your Sweet”, and they will donate the proceeds from that to the Sunshine Fund.
The Sunshine Fund receives a majority of its funding from the October Fun Night bake sale that takes place. However some of the money in the fund is from private donations as well.
Both students and their family members are welcome to come to room 11 to receive the items that they need. While Vojcsik would like The Cove to be able to open to the general public, more than likely it will only be available to students and their families.
Before this year, there was a form of help for the students in the community, but school supplies, food, and clothing were all kept in separate buildings across the district. However, this year, Principal Heather Venne offered to have everything in one building.
“This [The Cove] would have not happened without the incredible support of Mrs. Venne,” said Vojcsik.
The Cove is in need of volunteers; students who are willing to donate time to help keep The Cove functioning should reach out to Vojcsik, who can be contacted at [email protected].
