Mora High School food shelf provides 'Food For Friends' for 10 years

A student food shelf at the Mora High School has been providing 'Food For Friends' for 10 years.

Food For Friends is managed and maintained by Mustang students, with oversight from Mora Alternative Learning Center coordinator Karen Felger.

The donation-driven food shelf provides food resources for Mora students, as well as other necessities, including hygiene products.

"We do apply for some grants from some local businesses, companies, or banks, but our funding is almost entirely through private donations," Felger said.

Felger added that local churches and area organizations — including the Lions Club and Masonic Lodge — are some of the biggest donors to the food shelf.

"100 percent of donations go right to Food For Friends," Felger said. "There's no paid employees, there's no overhead, nothing like that."

The Food For Friends board is comprised of a group of community volunteers, and helps come up with ideas for the food shelf's cooking corner, a resource that pairs food resources with kitchenware to help build students' kitchens.

The food shelf is normally open from 1:15 p.m. through the end of the school day, but is accessible through the counselor's office at any time.

"It's not supposed to be, like, the snack cupboard," Felger said. "It's supposed to be things you take for use at home."

'No matter what your background is, you can be anything'

In 2015, a freshman named Dre Atchison started a food shelf at Mora High School.

"World History class made me realize you can change your life for the better," reads a quote from Atchison, framed on the wall in the Food For Friends space. "No matter what your background is, you can be anything."

The food shelf Atchison founded was borne from a class project in a world studies class. At the time, it was established in the high school's media center.

"It was right next to the auditorium area," said one Mora senior who helps manage to food shelf, "It was like an old closet."

One student said the space at the new high school offers more discreet accessibility.

"I think a lot of kids didn't get it as much at the old school just because it was one entrance," she said.

Felger said the dedicated location at the new high school campus also offers more shelf space.

The food shelf does have a small refrigerator, but Felger said stocking perishables is a challenge. Most of the Food For Friends offerings are shelf-stable.

"It also shows our school's commitment to providing for our students," Felger said. "Over the years, it's hard as an educator seeing kids who need basic needs ... The need is real, I would say that. And there should be no stigma, and I'm sad that kids are embarrassed. And I get it. Being a teenager is hard enough."

'I wouldn't be able to do it on my own'

Since 2015, the food shelf has continued as a service project managed by Mora students.

"The food shelf is awesome, actually, because if you don't know if you're going to be able to eat dinner tonight, or food for lunch tomorrow, it's great to just be able to stop in," said one Mora senior who helps manage Food For Friends.

Students who help maintain the project are responsible for organizing goods on the shelves, checking expiration dates, and stocking grocery orders that come in.

"I wouldn't be able to do it on my own," Felger said. "You guys make it possible to do, because I wouldn't be able to unload all those groceries and get it on the shelf within a timely manner, so without your help we wouldn't be able to have the scale of the food shelf that we have."

Those groceries typically come from a big monthly order from Coborn's, which is delivered to the front of the school. Students put the goods on carts, bring them in, unbox the items, and arrange them on the shelves.

"We want to create a grocery store feel," Felger said, adding with a laugh: "I'm always like, 'guys, turn the labels out, make it pretty."

Food For Friends also puts together special projects for the holiday season, including Thanksgiving bags and Christmas boxes.

"I feel like being able to help out kids who don't have those supplies at home, it really helps out a lot of people, I think, especially in a smaller town like this," said another student who helps maintain the good shelf. "A majority of people who live here go to the school, and know about it, so I think it's a good resource to have, and it's nice for us to be able to help out."

Felger said community members looking to donate can make checks out to Food For Friends, addressed to 118 9th Street in Mora.

"No one's looking for a handout. We all want to help, right? But sometimes we need a little support just to get by," Felger said.