Baldwin’s world language clubs have started the Purple Pantry project to help students in need.
The Purple Pantry will be a room located on the first floor where donations of basic materials and supplies needed by the student body will be available.
World language teachers started organizing the Purple Pantry at the beginning of November.
“We realized that there is a lot of need in the school,” French teacher Katie Streets said.
Spanish teacher Rebecca Mackin said a wide variety of products will be available to students in need.
“It covers such a broad range of needs, from hygienic products and food products to school supplies,” Mackin said.
To request items from the Purple Pantry, students access a Google Form through a QR code. Teachers have been given small purple signs with the QR code to post in their classrooms.
Streets said that student involvement is imperative to running the Purple Pantry.
“Every week, members from a different foreign language club will fill the orders from the Google forms. Then, the orders will be given to the students,” Streets said.
Streets hopes that the Purple Pantry will spark unity among Baldwin students.
“As foreign language teachers, we see how kids struggle to have their basic needs met, and we want to help them out by bringing the community and school around to support them,” Streets said.
Mackin said raising awareness of the Purple Pantry will be key.
“I hope that we can continue spreading the word so that students who are in need know this is available to them,” Mackin said.
Latin teacher Liz Allemang wants to get as many people as possible involved.
“I want this to be a whole school effort. Eventually, I want this to be seen as more than an endeavor from a couple of teachers, but a program where students bring things in on the regular,” Allemang said.
