Teacher starts snack pantry at Hutch elementary school

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KSNW) – A first-grade teacher in Hutchinson is working to make a difference in the lives of students by trying to bridge the hunger gap through a snack pantry.

Libby Schultz is a first-year teacher at Lincoln-McCandless Elementary School, which has the highest population of students using free and reduced meals in the district.

Schultz was inspired by the opportunity to do a service learning project funded by a scholarship from her alma mater Kansas State University, which offered a stipend to help her create the project.

Then she reached out to First Presbyterian Church in Hutchinson to see if they could help donate snack items to the pantry. So now there’s a snack pantry in each classroom, in addition to the already existing take-home pantry in the school.

“What I hope is that students see that there are adults who love them and care about them, not only in our school but in our community,” Schultz said.

Schultz says the pantry serves more than 400 kids.