Overview
The FRC food pantry and clothing closet resembles a small grocery store with aisles of non-perishable food items and racks of girls and boys clothing sizes 3T to adult sizes. Families must have a student enrolled in District 20 or the patron must be an ASD20 staff member to access the food pantry and clothing closet. The Food Pantry and Clothing Closet is open during the school year on select Wednesday evenings from 4 pm – 6 pm and Thursday mornings from 9 am – 12 pm. Families are encouraged to make an appointment for their first visit by reaching out to either Kierra Yarbrough or Tarah Patterson.
Please look at our calendar to see when the food pantry and clothing closet will be open. Walk-ins are not accepted. If you are in a food emergency, please call to make an appointment and you can come in during a time outside of our open hours.
If there is a 2-hour delay due to weather on a Thursday open hour day, then the Family Resource Center will be closed. A 2-hour delay will only affect Thursday open hours, Wednesdays will proceed as normal. If there is a district cancellation, the Family Resource Center will not be open.
How We Work
Our food pantry is open 4 days each month on select Wednesdays and Thursdays. Our pantry is stocked with food purchased from local grocery stores and include non-perishable food staples such as bread, pasta, beans, rice, canned goods, prepackaged snacks, and breakfast items. During open hours, families can grocery shop while FRC staff members are there to answer questions and help bag grocery items. All food items are free and the amount each family can take is dependent on the size of their household.
Our clothing closet is open two days each month on select Wednesdays and Thursdays. Our clothing closet is stocked with new or gently used clothing items including pants, shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, winter jackets, hats, gloves, and shoes. We stock children’s and adult clothing, ranging from 3T through Adult Plus Sizes. Our clothing closet is 100% donated and the selection we have available will fluctuate throughout the school year.
First Time Families
Please contact Kierra Yarbrough or Tarah Patterson and we will schedule a first-time FRC visit. Your visit will include receiving a tour of our facility and explaining our system for how to access the food pantry and clothing closet. Families will be able to receive the resources needed during this visit. We want to provide a space where we can get to know the families so we can understand how to best serve them.
Our open hours will always be on select Wednesdays and Thursdays and will always be at the given times (Wednesdays 4 pm – 6 pm and Thursdays 9 am – 12 pm).
Care & Share Mobile Market
Once or twice a month, the FRC will host the Care and Share Mobile Market, a truck filled with free fresh food, including produce, meat, and eggs. The Care and Share Mobile Market event happens at the EAC District Office parking lot, not at the Family Resource Center. Please refer to our calendar for dates. Come to 1110 Chapel Hills Drive and look for the large Care and Share food truck.
In the event of severe weather, the Mobile Market will adhere to the following guidelines:
Lightning: If lightning is within 6 miles, the Mobile Market will be suspended for 30 minutes and patrons will seek shelter in their cars. If lightning is still in the area after 30 minutes, the Mobile Market will be cancelled. If there has been no lightning for 30 minutes, the Mobile Market will resume.
Hail: If it begins to hail, the Mobile Market will be suspended, and patrons will seek shelter in their cars. After 15 minutes, staff will evaluate if the Mobile Market will be cancelled or resume.
Tornado: If there is a tornado, the Mobile Market will close, and patrons will be escorted to a safe place inside.
Before patrons seek shelter, line numbers will be handed out so when the suspension of the Mobile Market is over, they can resume the same place in line.
Ways to Get Involved
Donations
We accept non-perishable food items that are unexpired and unopened, as well as new or gently used clothing items in sizes 3T – Plus size. For additional donation specifics, see our Current Needs announcement.
Donations are accepted on Wednesdays from 2 – 6 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 –12 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled if the above times do not work for you.
Please place your donations in the bins or boxes located in front of the Family Resource Center. Please call ahead if you have a large donation to drop off. Receipts are provided for donations given.
If you are interested in conducting a donation drive, please fill out our online Donation Drive form to get started.
Donation Drives
If you are interested in running a drive to collect items for the Family Resource Center, please reach out to Tarah Patterson or Kierra Yarbrough to discuss the details so your drive can best meet the needs of the Family Resource Center. We welcome your help collecting clothing, food, toiletries, school supplies, and household goods.
See our announcement on donation drives for additional details.
Volunteering
If you are interested in volunteering at the food pantry and clothing closet, please start with our online Volunteer form.
Contact
Tarah Patterson
(719) 234-5683
Kierra Yarbrough
(719) 726-5400