This year has definitely been a shock for most of us, as since January we have been dealing with one issue after another, with COVID-19 being the most persistent of them all.

As the virus spread throughout the globe, our lives have changed radically, jobs were lost, schools were closed, stores were emptied, everything we had considered normal changed abruptly, leaving us observing by the sidelines.

However, there were a few groups that were affected the most by these new “lockdown” measures, those of the seniors and of the children. These groups were found to be particularly the seniors living in isolation and children living in poverty, with disabilities, or in out-of-home care.

Our story today takes us to Texas where a school took a very original initiative to help its students during the lockdown. According to the Center for Public Policy Priorities, “One in five Texas children lives in poverty, and state and local policies don’t do enough to support the success of every Texas kid”.

So, it’s hardly surprising when the Linda Tutt High School decided to open and run a grocery store within the school building, in order to support the students and their families amidst the pandemic.

“I think a big part of it is about empowering our students because many of them come from low socioeconomic families that need just a little extra support with food”, said school principal Anthony Love.

How does this grocery store work? The store is open from Monday to Wednesday and it’s open to all the students and staff within the school district. The store doesn’t accept cash but works with points. Basically, the students receive points for every positive deed or chore they do at the school’s grounds by the school’s office.

The number of points that are awarded is based on the number of family members in every household. With these points, on Tuesday evenings the public can visit the grocery store via curbside pickup with the aid of volunteers. According to Principal Love, “Students are really the key piece to it”.

The store was opened after the collaboration of a local nonprofit, called First Refuge Ministries, the Albertsons grocery store, and the Texas Health Resources. Also, the school partners on Friday with the BackPack Program, a program that is essential to many households across the country as it provides food for children for the weekends.

The store is run only by students and as the School’s Principal explained, “I think the most exciting part of it is just teaching our kids job skills that they can carry with them as they graduate high school and move on into the world”.

What a wonderful initiative and a way to help out the students and their families during these difficult times. It also shows that the School can help and protect its students outside the classrooms, keeping them healthy and strong. Hopefully, more schools in the country will follow the example of Linda Tutt High School.

If you would like to see the whole news report, check out the video below.

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Source: Fox5 Atlanta, OECD