The Baldwin County School District is able to expand its Holiday Nutrition Program due to a $2,000 grant from the Tri-County EMC Foundation Board of Directors.
Federal Programs Specialist Shonya Mapp applied for the grant to be able to support local families during the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks when school meals are not available.
“We have several families in our district who rely on the food provided by our schools. This program ensures those families are supplied with nutritious meals during the absence of those meals. No family should worry about how to obtain food or what they are going to eat, especially around the holidays,” said Mapp.
Mapp stated the program was started two years ago during the COVID era when a mobile food truck would bring food to multiple counties across the state to help with food deficits.
However, on Dec. 9, 2023, the Middle Georgia Food Bank announced it would no longer supply food to the Milledgeville-Baldwin County area, along with 24 other counties.
“That year we worked hard to ensure families were fed and still received the meals they needed,” said Mapp. “And since then, my team and I have worked to ensure the program continues to provide its service to the community. The community has been very gracious to us and we are so thankful for everyone who donates money, food, or volunteers throughout the year to keep our support programs going.”
The program focuses on primary and elementary schools in the district.
Counselors at each school identify families in need and Mapp and her team coordinate shopping days and accept donations to pack non-perishable, shelf-stable items, and microwavable options for families.
“We try to take the students’ interest in mind when creating the meals, but our primary focus is providing something child-user friendly and non-perishable that will be healthy and tasty,” said Mapp. “We always include items that these younger kids can make on their own, as we know that many families will also be working and busy during the holiday season and cooking a meal can be difficult around a tight schedule.”
The Tri-County grant will fund pre-break food distributions providing take-home meal boxes designed to provide “balanced breakfasts, lunches, and snacks throughout the holiday season” for identified families. The Social Services Department and Counseling Department will come together to shop, pack, and ship boxes home with students.
“This provides for four schools, and we usually make about 50 to 60 boxes, depending on the year and our funding,” said Mapp. “Because of the age of the middle and high schools, they are self-sufficient and are not included in this specific program, though our department still supports families in-need at these schools through other programs and case-bycase basis.”
However, the program is always accepting donations, monetary or physical, to keep the program going. Anyone interested in making a donation can contact the Family Engagement Department at 478-457-2960. Monetary donations should be made out to the Family Engagement Department. “Any money donated goes into a special account that is only used for our students. Food that is donated is also used for this program but also to feed families throughout the year,” said Mapp.
“Physical donations can be dropped off throughout the year at the Family Engagement Department, at 110 N. ABC Dr. in Milledgeville.”
Mapp and her team aim to eventually establish a food pantry at the Family Engagement Department that families can access year-round, and the community can consistently donate to.
“We’ve identified a space on our campus and as time permits, we will be working toward making it happen. We hope to have it established by this time next year,” said Mapp.
For this holiday season, the Family Engagement and Social Services Departments are also accepting donations of new toys for the Angel Tree program that provides toys to families in-need. Donations can be dropped off at the office, at 110 N. ABC Dr. in Milledgeville. For more information, email shonya.mapp@baldwin. k12.ga.us.
“We welcome whatever anyone would like to give. Our community has shown us tremendous support and we hope to continue providing these programs into the future,” said Mapp.