Montclair’s newest Little Food Pantry is installed at Renaissance Middle School, and it is a true community project. As with all the Little Food Pantries, it will provide non-perishable goods to the community and be maintained a supplied by volunteer donors year-round. A compost bin will also be installed to keep vegetative waste out of landfills. The compost collected will help nourish vegetables in Renaissance’s gardens.
Renaissance Middle School was founded on the premise that the school and its staff and students are part of a larger community. Those values, and the school’s commitment to community service, come full circle with the food pantry. The project was made possible with community involvement and investment. Renaissance organizers were able to work with Montclair’s Northeast Earth Coalition [NEEC], American Royal Hardware in Watchung Plaza, and a Renaissance parent’s business, Dan Cassidy Contractors, making the project even more meaningful. All the groups provided either financial assistance, donated materials, or skills and time.
Renaissance Middle School principal Maria Francisco and teacher Mr. Stulbaum combined forces to install the pantry at the school. After Francisco presented the idea as a way to further connect Renaissance to the community, Stulbaum did the legwork to organize groups, donations and keep the project moving forward. He explained part of his motivation: “Community involvement is a very important aspect of Renaissance. That we were able to work with so many local organizations and businesses made the project much more meaningful and highlights what Renaissance is about.”
Francisco added: “The decision to place the food pantry at the steps to the entrance of our school reflects our commitment to ensuring accessibility for the entire Montclair community. Opting for this location over inside the fence hopefully ensures that everyone feels welcome and comfortable accessing the pantry for their needs.”
Jose German, founder of Northeast Earth Coalition, feels strongly that it is imperative to incorporate our public schools into these community projects. “First, [NEEC] is committed to educating youth about environmental protection, sustainability, and environmental justice. Second, students are required to do community work as part of the school curriculum. Bringing Little Food Pantries to our schools gives them an opportunity to fulfill this requirement. In addition, we are also promoting school gardens and educating students about local food production, pollinator gardens, wildlife habitat, and composting. It fulfills our purpose of creating a long-lasting impact in our community and for future generations.”
The Renaissance Little Food Pantry is the 18th pantry sponsored by Northeast Earth Coalition across five towns in the region since 2020. The program distributed more than 330,000 pounds of canned and dry food in 2022. This year they expect to reach 370,000 pounds of food. Little Food Pantries rely on more than 250 volunteers to maintain and fill the LFPs with non-perishable food and supplies. The pantries, “open” 24/7, support community, whether it’s a need for food or a desire to give, and help feed nourish neighborhoods and build connection.
Some volunteers, like Tom Mulligan and Sulima Elemam, put in extra effort to ensure community growth. While the Little Food Pantry was being installed in front of Renaissance Middle School by contractor and Renaissance parent Dan Cassidy, Mulligan and Elemam assembled a double-barrel composting bin that will be available to the Renaissance students and staff. The composted soil will then feed the Renaissance gardens that provide vegetables to local organizations like Toni’s Kitchen. A true community cycle!
The LFP in front of Renaissance Middle School is already being utilized by school and community members.Those inspired to help maintain the pantries in our community can keep up with pantry condition and needs via the NEEC Free Little Pantry Community Food Network Facebook page.