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McKinney-Vento Program Seeking Food Donations for Students in Need

Posted October 10, 2023, 10:30 AM. Updated October 10, 2023, 11:30 AM.

Group says non-perishable food supplies are running low, which is unusual for this time of year.

It’s late September and Cristal Wilson, the director of the McKinney-Vento Title I Homeless Project, is nervous as she walks through the warehouse where non-perishable food items are kept before they’re distributed to APS students and their families.

She’s nervous because the shelves in the warehouse are looking bare, particular for this time of year. A week later, she is sounding the alarm.

“Our shelves are empty, and we are seeking donations from the community,” she said. The problem, she explains, is that donations have dropped at the same time they are seeing an increased need among those they serve.

Wilson said the warehouse welcomes all non-perishable food. But the program also maintains a list of go-to items that are particularly practical for students and their families.

Those items include:

  • Cheese or peanut butter crackers
  • Beef jerky
  • Applesauce
  • Pudding
  • Fruit cups
  • Granola bars
  • Power bars
  • Cereal bars
  • Single serving Chef-Boy-R-Dee items
  • Ravioli/spaghetti-os
  • Single serving soups (with pull tab openings)
  • Ramen noodles
  • Tomato juice
  • Packaged nuts
  • Trail mix
  • Fruit snacks
  • Dried fruits
  • Peanut butter
  • Any kind of pasta
  • Spaghetti sauce
  • Canned vegetables and fruit (with pull top openings)
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Individually packaged chips/pretzels/Goldfish
  • Boxed drinks and juices
  • Vienna sausages (with pull top lids)
  • Pop tarts
  • Individual packets of oatmeal
  • Canned Tuna
  • Bags of rice or beans

Plastic spoons and gallon-size Ziploc bags are also needed.

Donations can be dropped off on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. at 1730 University Blvd. SE.  Contact Joey Wilson, McKinney-Vento Project warehouse coordinator, at (505) 256-8239 ext. 46911 or (505) 437-8772.

Money is also welcome. Donations can be made to the APS EducationFoundation for the APS Title 1 McKinney-Vento Program.