Food Pantry Opens At Walt Whitman High School In Huntington Station

HUNTINGTON STATION, NY — An in-school food pantry was introduced at Walt Whitman High School on Tuesday, the South Huntington School District announced.

The food pantry is being supported by a $10,000 gift card donation from Stop & Shop. It will allow the school, located at 301 West Hills Road, Huntington Station, to purchase the specific food items and other essential products that students and their families need.

It has also allowed the district to expand the pantry program to include all seven district schools serving students in Pre-K through 12th grade.

The pantry is open two Wednesdays a month. The specific days are found on the order form. The hours are after school from 2:30 to 4 p.m. If a person cannot pick up at this time, the pantry volunteers will make other arrangements for pick up or arrange food deliveries.

The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program was established to help limit barriers impacting students’ ability to succeed in the classroom by making sure that they have consistent access to food. Stop & Shop supports local schools’ existing food pantries or helps them establish a new one by providing gift card donations to help stock their shelves.

Walt Whitman High School has a diverse economic population, the school district said, making a food pantry key.

According to the most recent census in 2020, the median household income of Huntington households was $131,519. However, 49 percent of the 5,676 students attending South Huntington School District come from households that are below the poverty level and receive assistance for free breakfast and lunch programs.

The South Huntington food pantry marks the fifth school food pantry that Stop & Shop is supporting on Long Island. The grocery franchise is currently supporting 165 in-school food pantries across the five states it serves.