Drop Off Donations for Santa's Pantry

From now through December 6, you can drop off non-perishable food donations at Charles Ellis and other locations around town. The goal this year is to serve 1000 students throughout the district. Please see the flyer at the bottom of this flyer for a list of suggested items and also what not to bring.

Each year, food-insecure families face a long winter break without the breakfasts and lunches served at school. Approximately 66% of SCCPSS students are economically disadvantaged, which means more than half our population will struggle during these weeks.

In 2015, a group of concerned residents recognized this urgent challenge and joined together to offset the burden by sending home supplemental food items. The goal is to help keep vulnerable children fed and healthy so they are ready to continue learning upon their return to school in January.

Santa’s Pantry has been fortunate to grow exponentially from modest beginnings. In 2017, we served roughly 20 schools and 900 students in Chatham County. We targeted families with the greatest need, as identified by each individual school. Through the generosity of companies and individuals, we were able to collect hundreds of pounds of non-perishable food. Volunteers then sorted and filled the bags and distributed them in cooperation with the schools.

In 2018 we concentrated our efforts to the schools and students with the greatest need and increased the amount of food we sent home to each family we served. Therefore, last year we sent 600 bags home with our most vulnerable students.