IBW is proud that two of our clients, SchoolSmartKC (SSKC) and Harvesters – The Community Food Network, recently announced a new partnership to expand food pantries in schools.
The need to reduce food insecurity for students and their families was clear: a school application process saw 30 schools submit applications to either start a pantry or expand an existing pantry. A collaboration with Harvesters enabled SSKC to fund the setup costs and contribute to the ongoing pantry inventory for all 30 schools, including 13 schools KCPS schools and 17 public Charter Schools. The initial partnership will last for a minimum of three years, with an expected impact of more than 3,000 students and their families being served directly by pantries within their school buildings.
Check out KCTV5’s coverage of this partnership to end hunger.
IBW assisted SSKC with its research to facilitate matching students who are at high risk of underachieving and/or chronic absenteeism to needed social services in a more efficient and effective way. Learn more about SSKC’s resulting System of Care.
IBW served as Harvesters’ strategic planning partner. View Harvesters FY 2023-2025 Strategic Plan.
SSKC works to eliminate the achievement gap for Kansas City students and aims to see Kansas City Schools performing at or above national and state averages within ten years. The SSKC approach uses a robust, data-driven model to identify where disparities and inequities exist and makes strategic investments to improve school quality and provide tangible solutions to meet student need. Learn more about IBW Client Partner SSKC here.
Harvesters is Kansas City’s regional food bank serving 26 counties in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas, providing food and related household products to more than 760 nonprofit agencies. Harvesters also offers education programs to increase community awareness of hunger and teach about good nutrition. Learn more about IBW Client Partner Harvesters here.
Thank you, SchoolSmartKC and Harvesters, for taking steps to reduce hunger in our community!