Entergy Arkansas helps address holiday food insecurity for Hamburg students

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Entergy Arkansas helps address holiday food insecurity for Hamburg students

11/25/2024

Entergy Arkansas is partnering with the Hamburg School District to make sure students in need have food items to take home for the holidays.

Two $1,000 grants have allowed the district to purchase enough food for its student pantry to sustain those who may face food insecurity at home during school breaks.

Entergy Arkansas Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives seek to improve the quality of life for its customers and has embraced the United Nations Sustainability Goals, which are the blueprint to achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. The company has identified eight that most closely align with its CSR strategy and supports overall business objectives of the electric provider. Two of the most important are breaking the cycle of poverty and addressing food insecurity.

"We know families in our area are facing the loss of jobs, as well as dealing with inflation costs on all household expenses," said Amanda Killingsworth, Entergy Arkansas customer service manager for the Hamburg area. "The school's food pantry is already running short as they try to meet the needs of the current number of students who are hungry. We just want to make sure the kids have food during the long holiday breaks ahead of them."

The Hamburg School District food pantry was created to help children who rely on school breakfasts and lunches and often do not have food at home, officials said. There are no qualifications required; the program allows any child with a need to receive food and/or hygiene products at any time during the school year. The food pantry also creates an opportunity for education and volunteer hours for Hamburg High School students, who learn about nutrition and receive volunteer hours while helping their peers.

District officials said the pantry has made a significant impact on students and their families, especially during weekends and long holiday breaks.

"Sixty percent of our Hamburg school district students are from low-income families, and the district's homeless student numbers have increased by 25 percent since the fall of 2023," said Lesley Nelms, federal/special programs coordinator for the Hamburg School District. "The number of students requesting food to take home has also increased as a result."

The food pantry seeks to ensure no child is hungry or in need, part of the district's overall goal of keeping students physically and mentally healthy.

"When basic needs are not being met at home, students arrive at school distracted," said Nelms. "Then they do not perform well academically and are not engaged in classroom instruction."

Thanks to community partners like Entergy Arkansas, she said, the food pantry sends home roughly 70-100 bags of food with students each week.

Achieving food security for customers is a focus area for the utility's charitable giving, as well as volunteer programs.

"Arkansas has the highest percentage of food insecurity in the country," said Brandi Hinkle with Entergy Arkansas Corporate Social Responsibility. "One in five Arkansans faces hunger, and that number becomes one in four for children in our state. Those hungry bellies make it hard for students to grow up healthy and strong and meet their fullest potential."

"We've found that helping feed students and families is absolutely essential for building strong communities throughout our service territory," Hinkle continued. "We do that by financially supporting food banks and pantries, as well as volunteering throughout the year. We're proud to be able to make the long holiday break a happier and healthier time for Hamburg families."

In addition to the food pantry grant, Entergy Arkansas has also donated $9,000 to purchase equipment for the district's STEM lab. The lab will impact students in multiple classrooms across the district, giving them expanded knowledge in things like podcasting, product development, photography/videography, geospatial technology and more.

For more information about Entergy Arkansas Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, charitable grant applications, employee volunteerism and more, visit www.entergy.com/csr/.

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