EC students want to build 24/7 food pantry in Sunman

FCCLA members presented to the Sunman Town Board on Dec. 21

(SUNMAN, Ind.) -- Three East Central students stood in front of Sunman Town Council to propose a project that could help less fortunate community members.

Kayla Craig, Layla Craig and Emma Wolber are high school juniors and members of the FCCLA program.

The students want to build the Give & Take Food Pantry shelter that would be a small building, accessible 24/7 in the heart of Sunman.

The pantry would be stocked with items like canned goods that would be collected through food drives and donations.

"Our overall goal with our project is to give citizens food that is in immediate need," one student told the Town Board.

The project is supported by the Sunman Food Pantry and could help needy residents when their not open.

One of the students works at the Sunman IGA as a clerk and has seen the need for more food resources firsthand.

"I’ve rung up multiple people that had to take back items because they couldn’t meet the total cost of everything. The items were basic: soup, coffee, and canned goods," she said.

The goal is to have a 7x4 foot shelter built by the East Central Agriculture Department.

"We want the building to be in a well-lit area and visible to State Road 101, either in the Sunman Town Park area or the water tower area so people know where it is, and can see clearly what they are taking out of the pantry," they said.

Sunman Town Council expressed interest in the project and are taking the measure under consideration. They asked the students to come back to a future meeting.

If approved, the students said they would check on the pantry once a week.