Food Pantry Spotlight: Pineview Elementary School

​In front of Pineview Elementary School is a Help Shelf. The school’s custodian fills it every day with food items and every day it is emptied by members of the Pineview community who struggle with food insecurity. They include the grandmother who is caring for her grandson because her daughter suffers from mental illness. The mother of six who needs a little help at the end of the month when her food assistance runs out. And the grandmother whose social security check covers the rent, but not the food that she and her three grandchildren she cares for need.

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Pineview is a five minute drive from Florida State’s football stadium, but it’s a world away from the life most people who attend football games live. A large number of Pineview families do not own cars and the only grocery shopping sites available within walking distance are at the Dollar General, the Dollar Tree, and the gas station. None of these stores offer fresh, nutritious food. 

Pineview principal, Carmen Conner, showing a birthday cake kit, so that every child can celebrate their birthday- even if their family is food insecure.

Pineview Principal, Carmen Conner, standing beside the Help Shelf- a public-facing extension of the Pineview School Pantry. The Help Shelf was Conner's project as a member of Leadership Tallahassee 34.

A Full Summer aims to highlight members of our community who share our mission of ensuring that "no child goes hungry". ​Carmen Conner is the principal of Pineview Elementary School. Her day-to-day work at Pineview extends far beyond overseeing school operations. She, the staff, and the teachers at Pineview see the potential of the young children they serve. They want them to be educated, exposed to the larger world, and optimistic about life's opportunities. They want them to have a chance to break out of the cycle of poverty and become anything that they want to be. But, before any learning can happen, children have to be fed.

When we asked Principal Conner what she would like the greater Tallahassee community to know about local challenges with food insecurity she said, “There is a population in need of quality food on a consistent basis. They work hard and they’re doing their best, but sometimes their best is not good enough. They need a way to provide a meal. They need their community’s support.”

The Pineview School Pantry, supported by generous donations to A FULL SUMMER, and stocked by local food bank, Second Harvest.

Frozen sandwich meat and other protein items line the freezer at the Pineview Elementary School Pantry. The freezer was provided through generous donations to A Full Summer, and has served Pineview since 2023.

The shelves at Pineview Elementary School's Pantry are filled with canned fruits & vegetables, meats, and other grocery staples that provide sustenance to families in need.

A FULL SUMMER is working to ensure that food insecure children in all of our local schools have access to nutritious food. That’s why we have helped Pineview house a food pantry on its campus starting in 2019. Since then, we’ve supported eight other food pantries at Title I schools in Leon County. We’ve also provided each pantry with a freezer or a refrigerator. Having a freezer or a refrigerator allows the schools to offer fresh and frozen meats, fruits, and vegetables. The kind of nutritious food all children need.

A FULL SUMMER, Board members, Laurye Messer and Velma Proctor, interview Carmen Conner about the impact of the School Pantry and about the needs of the children and families who rely on the pantry for meals.

When you donate to A FULL SUMMER, you are part of the community that is doing something to support our youngest citizens who struggle with hunger. No matter where these children live, they are our neighbors. They should be treated like our own children because that’s what they are. They are the future of our great city. By feeding our children, we are fostering their potential, giving them a sense of security and hope, and showing them love.

Donate to help AFS provide food to Leon County School Pantries

You can also help support our mission to end child hunger in our community by sharing this post on social media. You can also volunteer to support students at Pineview Elementary or other public schools in Leon County through the mentorship program. Our schools are in need of mentors who can devote their time to helping a child. For example, Pineview Elementary has a program which allows kind citizens to champion the success of one student with a commitment of one student lunch per month.