Opinion | When students faced food insecurity, the St. Cloud community stepped up

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Across Minnesota and around the country, school communities are navigating economic uncertainty. Rising costs, housing instability and food insecurity touch far too many families. In St. Cloud, nearly 70% of our students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and more than 1 in 10 students experience homelessness during the school year. These are sobering realities.

But the story we want to tell today is not only about need. It is about what happens when a community chooses joy, generosity and shared responsibility in response.

Public schools often sit at the center of public challenges. Families trust schools. Children spend most of their day with us. And when their needs increase, schools are often both expected, and compelled, to respond. But we also know we cannot and should not do it alone.

So this fall, we asked for help.

We shared openly that many of our families were facing food insecurity and difficulty accessing basic necessities. We invited community partners, neighbors and organizations to join us in supporting students so they could stay focused on learning.

Retired teachers and administrators. Parents and grandparents. District staff and union members. Local businesses and nonprofits. Faith leaders. Civic partners. People offered time, talent, donations and ideas. Together, they created what we can only describe as a bright tapestry of giving, each contribution a thread of care, woven into something strong and hopeful.

Because of our community’s generosity, and because partners and volunteers stood up to do the work, we are able to:

This is not a shift in our mission. Our mission is learning. It is also belonging, safety and dignity, the foundation that makes learning possible. Community partners are making this effort possible; schools are not operating food shelves. Rather, we are serving as a bridge, a connector and in many cases simply a place where trusted adults point families toward help.

We are deeply grateful to those who answered the call, from Catholic Charities to LEAF, from local churches to neighborhood volunteers, from teachers and staff who donated and delivered to businesses and families who offered support. This is what partnership looks like. This is how a community wraps around its children.

And it has brought us joy. Not a surface-level cheerfulness, but a deep, steady joy rooted in knowing we take care of one another here.

To everyone who gave, served, delivered, stocked, organized and supported: Thank you.

You are the reason joy is alive in our schools, even in difficult times. And you are proof that when a community stands together, every child has the chance to learn, grow and thrive.