The Lincoln County School District has received a $70,000 grant from a foundation affiliated with the Safeway supermarket chain to create emergency food pantries at the district’s 13 schools.
The grant is from the Nourishing Neighbors Safeway Foundation. With the help of Roby’s Furniture and Builders First Choice of Newport, the district is also establishing a warehouse to hold additional food.
The school pantries will enable students to obtain dinner and weekend meals once classes resume full-time, said Patty Graves, general manager of Sodexo, the district’s food service program.
The funds have also been used to supplement the district’s meal programs during the pandemic, providing three meals, seven days a week to all youth living in Lincoln County.
The Safeway foundation’s special community relief initiative was established to help families impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and other issues, donating more than $77 million in the past year to help food banks, schools, and senior centers launch or maintain their meal programs.
