Amazon brings food pantry to Hunt Elementary to help fight childhood hunger

On December 10, the doors of a new food pantry opened in San Bernardino but not at your typical site – it was located onsite at Hunt Elementary School. Amazon and Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County were there to celebrate the grand opening of the food pantry along with local community representatives and elected officials. Amazon provided Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County with a $25,000 donation to create the onsite food pantry at the school, helping students to reach their learning potential on a full stomach.

“Students are our future innovators and their success depends on their ability to learn and be curious – they can’t do that on an empty stomach,” said Daniel Burton, Operations Manager at the Amazon San Bernardino fulfillment center. “Amazon is excited to be able to support Hunt Elementary School by partnering with Community Action Partnership to provide an accessible and safe setting to help support local children and their families get access to nutritious food.”

Hunt Elementary School and Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County worked together for several months to renovate the school’s current clothing closet into a full food pantry and free clothing “store.” Volunteers, including teachers and parents from Hunt Elementary School, will make sure the facility is staffed while Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County will make sure the shelves are stocked with regular food deliveries.

“These food pantries will help remove transportation barriers and provide convenient locations for children and families to get access to food,” said Hunt Elementary School Principal, Kristin Kolling. “Alleviating the challenges associated with hunger will empower our students to prosper in school and become engaged community members. We are so grateful for this generous donation from Amazon and the services that are being provided to our kids by Community Action Partnership.”

This donation is part of Amazon’s commitment to fight childhood hunger – more than 13 million children in the United States live in homes where they don’t regularly have enough food to eat. Amazon is working with local food banks and schools to establish food pantries in areas near fulfillment centers and help provide at least 500,000 meals to support children in local communities across the U.S.

“Our Food Bank Program has worked closely with Amazon to develop the pantry here at Hunt Elementary. Our organization will make sure this project is sustained by adopting this school, and continuing to fill these shelves with nutritious food items and other donations,” said Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County’s President and CEO Patricia Nickols-Butler. “Today, our community witnessed the power of partnership and we are thankful to be involved.”