Graduate student runs food pantry at local elementary school

Responding to needs expressed by community partners is the guiding principle of the Center for Civic Engagement’s (CCE) work. The center’s Youth Initiative, part of a partnership between the CCE, Binghamton University Community Schools and several local school districts, is no exception. Through this program, graduate assistants hired by the CCE recruited and placed more than 400 students in nine local school districts during the 2021–22 school year. In total, these students volunteered for over 20,600 hours in support of local schools, providing academic support, leading after-school activities, planning events, coordinating toy drives and more. Binghamton students are making a difference.

Recently, several schools have extended this partnership by funding additional graduate assistants through the CCE to fill specific needs.

In the past year, support for school-based food pantries was added to the list. As a graduate assistant, Molly Kildow, MSW ’22, worked with the Binghamton City School District at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School from August 2021–December 2022. The pantry opened in 2021, and under Kildow’s management, it grew rapidly.

“It took a little while for people to catch on and hear about it,” Kildow said. “But over the summer of 2022, we really took off and during the fall semester we had probably 20 families, if not more, coming each week.”

Kildow credits the boom in attendance to a few key factors. The school-based pantry allows families to come in and select their own groceries, rather than having groceries selected for them, which many other pantries do. The pantry also provides privacy and convenience by being open on specific afternoons during dismissal and mornings during drop-off. The entrance, Kildow explained, is separate from the entrance to the school, making the pantry very private.

“We wanted to make it easier, so people can just come when they either pick up or drop off their kids,” Kildow explained.

When the pantry is open, Kildow asked patrons a series of demographics-based questions and, most importantly, gathered feedback about what types of items they would like to see available.

“We really want the pantry to be utilized by the community, so that’s why we make sure to ask them what they want,” Kildow said.

She also coordinated deliveries, ordered food and made sure all of the general needs for the pantry are met, including unpacking deliveries, handling inventory and ensuring that the pantry was organized, clean and well stocked.

Kildow ensured that the pantry always had refrigerated staples like milk, cheese and eggs. She also stocked frozen meats and fish, fresh produce such as apples and potatoes, and canned goods.

Supervising student interns from the University was also her responsibility. Kildow was the driving force behind bringing Binghamton University students into the fold as interns and helpers at the Benjamin Franklin pantry. Typically, interns help with inventory, restocking, greeting families and unloading deliveries.

“There’s definitely a need for a pantry in Binghamton, so it’s good that families can come here,” Kildow said. “The food pantry is something that I take a lot of pride in, and it’s awesome to be able to meet and help the community members.”

Kildow graduated in December, but the partnership continues, with a new graduate student running the pantry this spring.