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You’ve heard the mantra: Knowledge is power. Thousands of kids across the Ozarks went back to school this fall ready to empower themselves with knowledge, but the fact is, children need food to be at their best – and right now, 1 in 5 children are facing hunger across southwest Missouri.

Ozarks Food Harvest works directly with nearly 70 local schools to help connect kids to nourishing meals through the Weekend Backpack Program and school pantries, because who better to reach students than the educators who teach them every day? That’s how the food pantry at Springfield’s Academic and Behavioral Support school (ABS) got started – by the teachers and counselors who recognized their kids could reach even higher with the fuel they need to thrive.

Denise Smith is the special education process coordinator at ABS, a school dedicated to providing additional and specific supports to students who need different resources in the classroom. She’s no stranger to identifying the unique resources students need to be successful, so it’s no surprise she and school counselor Josh Reeves were instrumental in reaching out to Ozarks Food Harvest to get their school pantry started.

“When a child’s hungry, they can’t concentrate,” explained Denise. “I mean, it’s just like us when we’re hungry. It’s hard to be as open-minded and willing to learn and do things, and I think [kids] are the same, just little people. I believe it’s important we meet that basic need.”

Studies show that childhood hunger has a negative impact on a child’s physical, social, cognitive and behavioral development, and even short bouts of hunger can impact a child’s growth. Looking at it from another perspective, if hunger can negatively impact a child’s growth, then proper nutrition is the building block kids need to excel. Food is power, too.

The ABS school pantry provides help to any Springfield Public Schools family seeking food assistance to make ends meet, no questions asked. The goal is to help ensure the whole family has enough food to have a happy and healthy home. Having the pantry at the school has a lot of benefits like convenience for parents with limited time and transportation. It also allows school staff to identify which families could benefit from the resource, and it’s even helping to build trust between staff and parents.

“[The pantry] is great for building relationships not only with individual students, but an opportunity to do that with the whole family as well,” shared Josh, “It’s showing them that you don’t just want their children to get good grades, you want them to be healthy and functional in the community. Just letting them know that our number one priority is taking care of them.”

Denise and Josh already see the strengths in their students daily. Among many attributes and stories, both are proud of how sweet, appreciative and thoughtful the kids are when helping unload monthly deliveries from Ozarks Food Harvest into the pantry. Some students even ask to bring a treat back to a classmate when they notice an item their classmate enjoys. Now, the school pantry is supporting kids’ strengths by serving around 132 people each month.

Kids are incredible. Their ability to learn, create and be kind inspires millions of educators every year, but children thrive most when they have the fuel to empower themselves. Thanks to supporters like you, The Food Bank provides meals to kids through the Weekend Backpack Program, school pantries, and afterschool and summer programs. As Josh said, “There wouldn’t be a pantry without Ozarks Food Harvest.” And Ozarks Food Harvest couldn’t do it without your support. Thank you for helping us Transform Hunger into Hope.