Friends Select School marked a significant milestone this year with the official launch of the FSS Community Pantry during the Family Association’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event. Located on the Race Street side of the Parkway Building between 16th and 17th Streets, the pantry aims to provide nonperishable food, personal hygiene products, and clothing items to those in need, fostering a spirit of giving and mutual aid.

Philadelphia’s first community fridge opened in 2020, initiated by food insecurity that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The movement has since grown to nearly 40 fridges and pantries located throughout the city and managed by volunteer support for tasks such as cleaning, stocking, and large donation pickups. It wasn’t long before a dedicated pantry became a vision for the Friends Select community with groups such as the middle school Homelessness Service Learning group, upper school Helping Hands club, lower school DEI committee, and the upper school Social Justice Week Food Insecurity group, as well as families.  

“The launch of the Community Pantry is a true culmination of dedicated efforts by students, faculty, staff, parents, and guardians to establish a permanent resource to address food insecurity within our community,” said Friends Select director of equity and inclusion Toni Graves Williamson, who was integral in making the program a reality. “This project resonated with the lower school DEI committee, so much so that members of our group delivered a presentation to school administration, advocating for the pantry with reasons rooted in each of the Quaker SPICES.” 

Friends Select’s director of city curriculum Margaret Smith led an ad hoc committee to help launch the pilot phase of the FSS Community Pantry. To ensure the pantry’s long-term sustainability, a formal committee was approved, composed of faculty members, students, and parents, to manage the pantry’s operations and donations, and coordinate volunteer efforts. Responsibilities include maintaining inventory, organizing regular food drives, and ensuring that the pantry is accessible to those in need. By creating a structured and organized system, the committee aims to guarantee that the pantry can consistently and continuously serve the community effectively.

Pre-kindergarten assistant teacher Abigail Swoboda serves as committee clerk and is looking forward to developing a larger shelving structure to accommodate the generosity of the community, as well as connecting with other hunger-fighting organizations in the city such as Sharing Excess, Homies Helping Homies, and the Coalition Against Hunger. “Becoming part of an established network of like-minded organizations will, it is hoped, lend FSS the knowledge and resources to sustain the success we saw this year,” they said. “As clerk, I am looking forward to engaging more members of our school and city communities in the stewardship of our pantry.” 

Abigail also stressed that members of the FSS community should feel welcome to take what they need from the pantry. “I am also hoping that the continued presence of the food pantry in our community will invite all people to interact with it more and more, and feel comfortable taking from it without fear of any judgment,” they said.

The FSS Community Pantry is poised to become a permanent fixture and stands as a testament to what can be achieved when the Friends Select community comes together with a shared purpose. As an embodiment of the school’s commitments to service, social justice, and the city of Philadelphia, the pantry will remain a beacon of hope and a source of support for those in need. “As it stands, ours is the only free community pantry accessible to anyone, 24/7, in Center City. This represents an amazing triumph made possible by the efforts of so many in our community,” Abigail shared. “Our pantry has already invited into our community so many great conversations about food insecurity and hunger justice, and I am excited for these conversations to continue.”