“The market has played a critical role in supporting Graham students, their families and the broader community who faced food insecurity during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Superintendent Chad Lensman said in a release.
The market was a volunteer-led initiative, with food provided by the Second Harvest Food Bank and local donations. It served more than 553 unduplicated families and 1,845 unduplicated individuals totaling 220,023 meals.
In recent months, the market has faced “significant challenges,” including patrons engaging in behavior such as fighting in line while waiting for the pantry to open, holding spots for distribution, putting out chairs days in advance, and the volunteer staff has endured disrespectful behavior from patrons regarding food choices and wait times, according to the district.
“The consistent issues with patrons’ actions and complaints have made it increasingly difficult to maintain an appropriate number of volunteers to operate the pantry,” Lensman said. “While we are disappointed not to have this resource readily available in our building for our students and families, we must prioritize our district’s time and resources for the education of our students.”
A few community members took to a post the district made on Facebook about the closure.
“I’m sorry it’s had to end this way, and students and families had to endure the behavior. Thanks for the service you have provided,” commented Brad Nicole Aldredge.
“How sad, people have to ruin something so valuable to so many, they should be thankful for what they we’re getting for nothing, I truly hope those in need continue to get what they need to feed their families,” Tammy Hess commented.
The district will work with the food bank and other local food pantries to make sure there’s a “smooth transition” as they close down the Falconland Market, and it will continue working with the St. Paris Food Pantry to meet student and family needs.
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