As the holiday season approaches, the Community Schools Department is taking steps to address food insecurity in the Poughkeepsie City School District.

The department is in the process of creating an emergency food pantry at the Parent Empowerment Center at Poughkeepsie Middle School, with the goal of expanding to a second location at the Parent Empowerment Center at Warring Elementary School when construction is completed.

The middle school dry food pantry could be open as soon as January, as Community Schools staff is deep into creating community partnerships to stock the pantry and will begin to accept individual donations. Families in need will be identified through a soon-to-be-released intake form that will cover a variety of areas.

“It will be an emergency food source for families in crisis,” said Community Schools Executive Director Natasha Brown, “that can serve as an in-between until we connect them to outside services. It’s our intention to provide at least two days of dinner through that pantry.”

More than 24% of City of Poughkeepsie residents ages 18 and under are living in poverty, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics, and more than 18% of residents overall.

Poughkeepsie Farm Project has said it is interested in providing surplus produce and Community Schools has been in contact with others, including Dutchess County government, the Regional Food Bank and some private organizations.

“We’re looking right now for sustainable commitments,” Brown said. “Can you commit to giving us two cases of peanut butter every Friday? We don’t want to roll it out and people become dependent on it and we can’t maintain fulfilling demand.”

There will be an ongoing ask for individuals to donate dry food items to assist in stocking the pantry. In mid-December when its holiday toy drive ends (see below), Community Schools will replace those boxes in each school building with food donation boxes. Until then, individuals can donate by contacting Interim Community Schools Administrator Jessica Ortiz at JOrtiz2@poughkeepsieschools.org or call 845-554-9546.

Community Schools is in the process of finalizing an intake form that will be distributed to families in every building in which needs can be identified to be addressed. The staff members at each school will have access to the form to ensure no family falls through without being identified.

“They might not only need food. They may need mental health services, they may need this or that,” Brown said. “We’re really starting to hone in on individual family needs.”

Brown said she hopes the pantries can become a broad resource for families to pick up items outside of emergency needs.

“For now, we’re starting small, to get a pulse for what the needs are and then work with some of our community partners to have more of a sustainable food pantry where we can distribute on a regular basis,” she said.

The second Parent Empowerment Center at Warring could be open as soon as February. Brown said its creation was slowed by construction in other parts of the building, but “it’s already been painted. We already have the furniture, the floors are down. Now we just have to add the technology and décor.”