Current CAMPAIGN

CARROLLTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOOD PANTRY

Food Insecurity Crisis
In the state of Maryland 1 in 7 children face hunger.

Prince George’s County (PG County) is located in the U.S state of Maryland. While PG County is known as the largest and most affluent African American county in the United States the county reports that 15.6% of residents (134,040 out of 858,539 individuals) are food insecure. Within these numbers, 11.4% of children (24,810 out of 208,106 children) in Prince George’s County are also food insecure. 

Carrollton Elementary is located within PG County and has 650 students of different cultural backgrounds. Of the 650 students within the school, 85% qualify for free and reduced lunch. For many students who attend Carrollton Elementary, the food that is served during breakfast, lunch, and snacks are most likely the only meals they will receive for the day. This leads one to assume that hundreds of Carrollton students are going home every evening without a healthy meal to look forward to. Numerous child behavioral studies prove that the lack of healthy food can lead to children having a harder time focusing while in the classroom. They are also likely to display maladaptive behaviors which will lead to the need for behavioral support and interventions that may not be necessary. Carrollton Elementary teachers and principal also solidify the need for food assistance for their students. Stating that “if we want to eliminate food insecurity everybody has to be involved”. 

In 2022, Jaiyeroof in conjunction with Carrollton Elementary will be opening its first food pantry. It will be located directly within the school with the purpose of addressing food insecurity within the community. The target for the pantry is to feed 150 students and families twice a month. The food will be pre-packaged by family size and distributed to the vehicles to limit contact between volunteers and parents/students.

The Food Pantry supply comes from The Capital Area Food Bank as well donations received via Amazon. If you are interested in volunteering or donating, please click here.