The idea started two years ago when a student approached teacher Eva Harris at Buena High School.
"We were preparing to go to fall break, and I had a student approach me and share they didn't want the week off because there was no food in their house," Harris explained.
The school district serves free breakfast and lunches to students when school is in session, but that left a gap during holiday breaks — so Harris had the idea to start a food pantry at the school.
"They didn't have the means to get to food pantries during the times of operation. And that's why I really thought, well, they're almost adults, they're teenagers. They could be independently grocery shopping for food for the home to cover that for holidays and weekends," said Harris.
One in four households in Ventura County experience food insecurity — and if this affects you, you can contact Food Share Ventura County for local resources.
