Mobile School Pantry

Utah Food Bank’s newest program, Mobile School Pantry, complements both school meal programs and our other childhood hunger programs. It provides a cost-effective food distribution point for children and their families at the end of the school day in a safe and trusted environment—the school playground.

Each month during the school year, our truck arrives at the school property, where Utah Food Bank staff and volunteers assist students and their parents as they sign in and receive food. The amount of food distributed varies depending on the availability of donated and purchased foods. We attempt to provide as many healthy items as possible.

Mobile School Pantry deliveries are only available to the students of that school and their families, and are completely free to the schools and their families in need. The growth and impact of this program have been astounding—last year, through distribution at 62 school sites, we reached 223,868 individuals, 131,444 of whom were children.

The Mobile School Pantry program approaches childhood hunger with the understanding that children are only truly protected from the pain and anxiety of hunger when their whole family has enough food to stay healthy. This approach makes the Mobile School Pantry program especially effective. Teachers and school administrators report that this holistic approach creates better educational environments and a stronger sense of community among the student body and their families.