Student-run free grocery store helps feed Texas town s hungry
The idea is to provide students with job skills, and at the same time help students, staff and community residents who are in need. Author: LUIS ANDRES HENAO (Associated Press) Published: 10:30 AM CST January 26, 2021 Updated: 10:30 AM CST January 26, 2021
SANGER, Texas Traditional school stores might offer snacks and knickknacks, school gear and notebooks but the one at Linda Tutt High School in Sanger, Texas, has a very different inventory and clientele.
At Linda Tutt you can get everything from produce, milk and eggs to pasta, peanut butter and canned goods to dishwasher soap and laundry detergent. Students and staff can shop there, but on Tuesdays, the store is open to the community.
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Gov. Kristi Noem has criticized a grocery-style food bank that provides families with essentials, teaches skills, encourages good behavior for students, and is backed by Christian organizations.
Linda Tutt High School in Sanger made national news this week by offering help, agency and dignity to its students. The small alternative campus opened a grocery store in one of its classrooms where students can shop for food, toiletries and household goods. And they pay with learning.
The project was the brainchild of Paul Juarez, executive director of First Refuge Ministries, which operates food pantries and health services in the Denton area. First Refuge used grant money from Texas Health Resources to establish the store and enlist the help of the Albertsons grocery chain.
Tutt Principal Anthony Love said 43% of students in Sanger ISD are economically disadvantaged and 3.6% are homeless. Though aimed at helping those families, the store is open to any student in the district. No cash changes hands. Students pay with points, which are awarded for good grades, good deeds, perfect attendance, or teachers-aide type jobs around campus.