As some kids may look forward to upcoming holiday vacations, others may be worrying over how they will make it through the breaks without school meals.

Feed the Kids board member and Mid-Prairie West Elementary Counselor Leanne Bender expects there will be a greater need for the food pantries at West Elementary and the middle school to care for students and their families during the holiday season. The pantries provide free food through HACAP and the Mid-Prairie Feed the Kids organization for any family that falls under HACAP’s income eligibility requirements. Bender says the Mid-Prairie food pantries are accessible five days a week, “Parents need to contact me to schedule a time to come and access [it], and perhaps that is uncomfortable and I need to reach out specifically and say, ‘Would you like to come in?’ when I’m on the phone with them, and I will get a better response that way.”

Bender encourages parents to access the food pantry as often as they want, as it is difficult to pack more food in children’s backpacks for the long weekends during the holiday season. The Mid-Prairie West Elementary food pantry has a variety of non-perishables, toiletries, and perishables including pork, turkey, shaved meat, and bread products.