CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Communities in Schools virtual pantries, which serve public school students across West Virginia, will be receiving a donation of $1 million to better the operations.
The donations come from Shawn and Angela Ball of L&S Toyota in Beckley, the Pack Family Foundation and the Wing 2 Wing Foundation are putting up the funds that will ensure each public school in the state will receive $1,500 to provide food, clothing and hygiene products for students.
“Anything we can do to help our students succeed and to help the teachers do everything that they’re doing, is just a blessing,” said Ball, who has been donating to the program since 2021.
Marshall University President Brad Smith and his wife Alys founded the Wing 2 Wing Foundation. State treasurer Larry Pack and his wife Lisa head up the Pack Family Foundation, which will also be part of the large donation.
“The need is real,” Pack said last week on MetroNews Midday.
Smith says without the essentials like food and adequate clothing, students often don’t stand a chance in the classroom.
“When a child shows up to school hungry or cold or without confidence, they’re not just missing food and clothing, they’re missing a chance to learn, to dream, to thrive, and to be the best they can be,” Smith said.
Pack agrees that students won’t be focused on learning when they have these daily struggles.
“The needs are real. If you come to school hungry, if you don’t have proper clothes — particularly with school-aged kids — it’s really, really difficult, so they’re not prepared to learn,” he said.
Smith says leaving more opportunities for the next generation is what he was meant to do.
“Our greatest gift in life is not what we leave behind, it’s what we send forward and there’s no better investment than the next generation of kids,” Smith said. ‘When I found out that Shawn and Angela were dreaming even bigger and then Larry and Lisa were stepping up, we said, ‘Why don’t we collectively just fund every single school in this state and let’s make this an opportunity for every kid.”
Pack and others will begin traveling across the state this week to start rolling out the program and meet with principals.