“I hope it has a huge impact,” school counselor, Jill Donahy says. “I’m really looking forward to it, and the parents are very excited. The kids get excited when they see extra groceries coming home, you know? Hopefully, it’ll alleviate some of the stress and pressure. That they’ll know we’re here to support them, and they’re not in this alone. There’s a lot of struggles going on right now, and if we can help in just this one, I mean, I feel like we’re doing good.”
On March 10, 2026, M.E. Pearson Elementary in Kansas City, Kansas, was filled to the brim with students, faculty, and guests to celebrate the opening of a larger enhanced school food pantry. The pantry was made possible due to a generous grant from Hy-Vee as well as partnership with Harvesters and its network partner, Kansas City Dream Center.
Stepping through the pantry doors, families will find shelves stocked with shelf-stable staples, as well as racks of fresh produce and refrigerators containing protein sources and all kinds of other healthy ingredients.
Harvesters has partnered with M. E. Pearson for years to provide BackSnacks for their students and additional food distributions for families, but this new effort will greatly increase capacity to serve more families.
With a large percentage of the school’s population qualifying for free and reduced school lunches and living below the poverty line, Donahue anticipates it being a game changer. She was instrumental in working with Hy-Vee to receive the grant, and she is well beloved by the students and their parents.
One parent who attended the grand opening, Joseph, has three students in the district, and two at M.E Pearson. During times of financial strain, he has utilized the school’s food distributions. He also routinely picks up food for some other families who cannot make it during the window in which the food is being distributed or do not have reliable transportation.
“I really love the system they have set up here,” Joseph says. “It helps a lot of parents. And I love all of the teachers and the staff here at the school. They’re very helpful.”
Thinking back on her time at the school, Jill recalled the story of another parent who struggled with whether he should utilize food assistance programs like the school pantry.
“I had a man here last year in the food pantry, and I said, ‘oh, I’m so glad you’re here.’ And he got tearful, and said, ‘I’m really embarrassed.’ And I said, ‘I really wish you wouldn’t be.’ And he goes, ‘I have two jobs, and I work really, really hard, but they don’t pay me very much.’
And you know, that just really spoke to me. There’s a lot of shame for some people coming to food pantries, but I don’t want that to be the case. So, we really are happy that this is warm and welcoming and looks like a regular store.”
To learn more about the programs Harvesters provides to feed children in our service area, click here.
