ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Despite school being out for the summer, Rochester City School District faculty are still working to give back to the community.
Wednesday at the Dr. Walter Cooper Academy School No. 10, the Department of Strategic and Community Partnerships partnered with Foodlink to provide local families with groceries through a drive-thru food distribution.
"Today, we have fruits and vegetables and all other kinds of stuff, goods and items for families,” said Rochester City School District’s executive director of strategic partnerships, Kelli Briggs. “So families can just pull up and we just have them pop the trunk and all of our wonderful volunteers will always come and help us as we load up the cars."
During previous drive-thru food distribution events, the department provided over 1,200 boxes of groceries to families in need. As the need for assistance has increased due to current economic conditions, they hope to continue to reach across the community and help families anyway they can.
"A lot of people have come out and it’s only been an hour that they've been out,” Briggs said. “I think it’s very necessary and awesome because food is very expensive nowadays."
Volunteers from the city school district and organizations like Rise Up Rochester are the working hands behind the food distribution event, and they are focused on showing their support not only for the community but especially for the children in it.
"Our kids who are at the core, that’s why we're in this business because of our kids, because of their families,” Briggs said. “So whatever we can do to help out with that, we want to always highlight that."
The department aims to hold community assistance events once a month and hopes that the support and donations for these events will continue to grow.