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Oswego School Board OKs monthly food pantry program at East View Academy

The Oswego School District 308 Board of Education voted unanimously Monday evening, Aug. 31, to allow a monthly satellite food pantry to operate at East View Academy at 4209 Route 71 in Oswego.

As approved by the board, the Yorkville-based Kendall County Community Food Pantry will operate the food pantry on the first Friday of every month beginning Oct. 2.

If the program proves successful, food pantry officials may approach the board with the option to increase the pantry to twice a month, under terms of the approved agreement.

For the first several months of the program, the pantry will operate as a drive-up service due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The food pantry will be held after the conclusion of the school day, meaning that no staff or students would be on campus.

According to the agreement, the pantry will provide the food items and the district will provide the venue, coordinate volunteers and house shelving, freezers and refrigerators for storage.

OSD 308 will also designate space and process/procedures for volunteer and client parking, traffic flow, food distribution, food storage between distribution days and unencumbered access to those areas by designated food pantry personnel.

Food Pantry Chairman Greg Witek thanked the board for its support.

"It's going to be a great year," Witek said. "There's this outpouring of volunteerism from within this district that I've never seen before, so we're really excited to watch that in action."

About 80 food-insecure families have already reached out to the pantry with requests to participate, Witek said.

A time has not been confirmed for the Oct. 2 pantry, but it will be a drive-through format, beginning after the school day concludes.

Shea Lazansky

Shea Lazansky

Oswego native, photographer and writer for Kendall County Now