Education

Riverhead school district central office donates food to Phillips Avenue pantry

food panty

In the first holiday season since it opened an on-site food pantry in the Phillips Avenue Elementary School, the Riverhead Central School District ran a food-drive competition for its district office, according to a press release.

For the contest, staff from the North Wing of the Osborn Avenue district office went up against staff from the South Wing to see who could donate the most food to the Phillips Food Pantry.

Assistant Superintendents David Wicks and Sam Schneider went shopping — together — to kick off the competition, but the North Side emerged victorious thanks to a sizable donation of potatoes from secretary Nancy Raynor’s farm. The press release did not specify the final totals.

“The real winners are the children in our school community and the families that nourish them and depend on food pantries like the one at Phillips to help them make it through the month,” the press release stated.

District office representatives dropped the food off so it could go home with students before Thanksgiving break, and they committed to raising more food before the winter vacation next month.

The Phillips Avenue pantry opened in January as an innovative way to provide more food to families in need. It is open to families on the second and fourth Thursdays of every month from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Anyone interested in donating to the pantry or volunteering can send an email to [email protected] or call (631) 591-5987.

Photo caption: From left to right: Rodney Parrish, Nancy Raynor, Gail Yeagor and Lucia Laguarda representing the North and South Teams at the district office transported the food collected to the Phillips Avenue Elementary School’s food pantry (Courtesy photo.)

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