Video: Tupelo Junior Auxiliary Meets Needs Of Grade Schoolers Who Face Food Shortages At Home

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TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – Each day, thousands of students eat breakfast and lunch at public schools throughout our area. For some of those youngsters, food is scarce when they are out of school.

As WCBI’s Allie Martin reports, when some members of Tupelo’s Junior Auxiliary heard about the problem, they went to work.

Every other week, Junior Auxiliary members meet in this room just off of Daybrite Drive to pack lunch bags with non perishable foods. The ladies are part of the “Silent Servings” project. The food bags are delivered to elementary schools. From there, counselors give them to children who may not get enough to eat during the weekends and the holidays.

“We take turns shopping, then we count out our bags from the numbers we have from our counselors and we pack our bags, it’s like packing 130 lunches,” said Emily Jarrett.

J A got the idea from First United Methodist Church, which packs snack bags for students who are classified as “food scarce.” Now, the ladies are helping children in four schools.

“We have our own children who come home because they didn’t like the flavor of a Nutri Grain bar we had put in their lunch that day and then we hear
stories , even though these are only 7 or 8 items going home on the weekend, are sharing with younger siblings, saving them so they have enough on
Sunday,” Jarrett said.

“Silent Servings” shares space with the Junior Auxiliary’s Clothes Closet, which provides clothes for needy families.

“This is a very easy way to serve in our community, serve children , which we all love to do, it is a need that has been brought to us and this is a
great way we can come together , work and make our community the best that it can be,” said Misty Little.

Junior Auxiliary projects are funded through the annual “Charity Ball.” The organization hopes to expand “Silent Servings” to more schools.