WEST JORDAN, Utah — Utahns are coming together to help their neighbors in need.
With the extended government shutdown impacting families who receive food benefits, along with those who work for the federal government, many are stepping up to donate food and vital supplies.
This week, the Principal’s Pantry at Copper Hills High School received a large donation of food from a local stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I come down here and get overwhelmed, because where do I start?” said Milonie Taylor, the school’s homeless liaison who organizes the pantry. “It’s a very good problem to have.”
Every school in the Jordan School District has a pantry like the facility at Copper Hills. It is meant to help students facing food insecurity.
Milonie wants students and families to know that if they are facing uncertainty, they should not be afraid to ask for help. “We have so much to give and I don’t want anyone to be without,” she said.
This district’s work to help families in need is just one example of how Utah schools are assisting their families.
Those who would like to help in their own communities are urged to call their local schools or district to ask how to make a donation or to learn more about the items that are needed the most.
Milonie says her pantry is ready in case of a surge in need caused by the government shutdown. It is one way the school is taking steps to help its students get through uncertain times. “They [the students] need to focus on school and their friends, having fun and being teenagers,” she said.
