In America, 1 in 7 children may not know where they will get their next meal. For the nearly 12 million children in the U.S. facing hunger, getting the energy they need to learn and grow can be a day-in, day-out challenge; therefore, the School Food Service (SFS) Department collaborates and supports the efforts of many community organizations to assist our students and families to provide hunger relief. For that reason, the District’s Hunger Relief Collaboration Team (HRCT) was created in FY18; this team includes many departments throughout the District working together to assist schools with hunger relief efforts. It is a team effort that we are committed to, and we cannot do it alone… It takes a village.

The goal of the Hunger Relief Collaboration Team (HRCT) is to establish a supportive system to assist schools with food insecurity issues in our community by working with local organizations who are looking to provide backpacks, food pantries and/or any other food distribution programs to support our students and families.

As a District requirement, a Hunger Relief School Program Participation Agreement (PBSD 2641) is to be completed by the school and the providing agency when a backpack, food bag, Food Pantry, and/or a Food Distribution program is in place. This agreement is accessible on the District’s HUB and website under District Forms (PBSD 2641). In addition, the agency providing the hunger relief programs’ required documentation (e.g. program’s handbook/guidelines, Certificate of Liability Insurance, Workers’ Compensation, etc.) must be accurate and completed before the start of the program at the school.

The school must also enter their program information on the Hunger Relief Collaboration Team SharePoint site and upload the final signed agreement.

If your school does not currently have a hunger relief program, and you are interested in starting one, please email hungerreliefteam@palmbeachschools.org and a team member will connect with you. In addition, we encourage your school to review the Hunger Relief Frequently Asked Questions for guidance.