The parent partners at Roxbury Prep, a free public school serving grades 5-12 in Boston, often work together to lead the charge against food insecurity. In December, the Roxbury Prep’s Parent Partners for Advocacy brought together roughly 50 volunteers from the community to assemble and distribute food baskets to more than 160 school families.
This tradition that originally started during the pandemic to meet the needs of families struggling with food insecurity.
The Greater Boston Food Bank estimates that 1 in 3 adults in Massachusetts don’t know where their next meal is coming from, a burden that disproportionately affects Black and Latinx communities.
The goal of this event was not only to help address these challenges for Roxbury Prep families, but to amplify the message that each person is made better when we invest in our neighbors and communities. “This year we had 165 families sign up for donations, which is three times more than when we first held this event in 2020,” said Roxbury Prep staff member, Bridget McElduff. “As a school community, we’re especially concerned about how we can support our families in finding food security. Hunger can affect a student’s sense of safety, their concentration and, ultimately, their ability to learn. We’re grateful to have a school community made up of so many individuals who want to take care of one another and Roxbury Prep will continue to support the tradition for as long as it’s needed.”
The event took place at the school’s Dorchester Campus where staff members, students, volunteers, trustees, community partners and elected officials, convened for this community event. Papa Gino’s Pizzeria graciously donated lunches for volunteers as part of their Pizza My Heart donation program, an initiative to reward local heroes making a difference in their communities.