United Way expands food access with new Fairfield school pantries

FAIRFIELD, Ala. (WBRC) - Two new food pantries have opened inside C.J. Donald Middle School and Fairfield High Preparatory School, part of a broader effort to fight hunger and remove barriers to learning.

The initiative is led by United Way of Central Alabama through its 'In-Community’ strategy, which partners with local school districts to make schools a hub for resources. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one in four children in Alabama live with food insecurity.

“If they’re hungry, it’s hard to learn,” said Chivon Morse, director of Place-Based Partnerships at United Way of Central Alabama. “We’ve opened two pantries so we can serve students, families, and the entire community with dignity and discretion.”

The pantries are stocked through a partnership with the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. Families can pick up frozen meats, produce, cereals, juice, and snack packs. Coordinators say the boxes are distributed discreetly, sometimes through drive-thru pickups, to reduce stigma for those seeking help.

“At the middle school, kids tell me lunch may be their only meal,” said Kayla Gowdy, a community school coordinator. “Some ask for snacks just to get through the day.”

Gowdy’s colleague, Chinquetta Lewis, who serves at Fairfield High Preparatory, sees the same need.

“Students come up hungry, and we make sure they have something,” she said. “It’s about access—being able to bring resources to Fairfield and share them with the community.”

Since launching late last year, the pantries have served nearly 300 households, reaching about 1,300 individuals and distributing more than 16,000 pounds of food, United Way reported.

Morse says the program is deeply personal. “Growing up, food was scarce,” she said. “If we can help families through that tough moment, we’re helping an entire community succeed.”

United Way is already expanding its 'In-Community’ initiative into Jasper City Schools and says they would like to open more pantries in Central Alabama communities in the future.

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