A pantry started about a year ago at Oak Ridge High School provides food, clothing, toiletries, and cleaning products to students in need. The Oak Ridge Board of Education toured the pantry with ORHS administrators and teachers on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. From left to right are Laura McLean, Angi Agle, Allen Etheridge, Beth Estep, Leslie Shelton, Bruce Lay, Bob Eby, Bruce Borchers, and Keys Fillauer. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 1:25 p.m. Jan. 26.
A pantry started about a year ago at Oak Ridge High School provides food, clothing, toiletries, and cleaning products to students in need.
It’s known as the RISE Pantry. RISE stands for Raising Individual Students to Excellence.
The pantry started with a cabinet. It’s now housed in a former classroom on the third floor of the high school.
Items stored there include, among other essentials, backpacks and notebooks, pants and shirts, shoes and boots, and soup and beans.
“You can’t learn if your basic needs aren’t met,” said English teacher and coach Allen Etheridge, one of those who started the pantry. “(If) a kid asks, we will bring them down here.” [Read more…]
