Bamford builds on tradition of serving to others, opens pantry for these in want

On Jan. 13, a crowd of scholars, households, employees and volunteers gathered within the Bamford Elementary College fitness center for a proper grand opening of the Gary Bamford Pack Pantry, a student-led neighborhood useful resource middle devoted to serving to these in want by providing free garments, sneakers, toiletries and meals.  

Every grade stage performed an essential half on this schoolwide challenge. College students researched which objects to incorporate within the pantry, contacted native companies, designed the pantry structure, web site and posters, amongst different duties to make the challenge a actuality. The grand opening was a end result of all the scholars and volunteers’ arduous work. 

“There’s no scarcity of want on this neighborhood,” Bamford Principal Alissa Poduska mentioned throughout the grand opening. “And to know that we’ve the means to assist meet a household’s primary wants makes our college students know that they will change the world.” 

This yr, just a few colleges all through the district have expanded their attain by creating an onsite closet or pantry to assist college students and households in want. Webber Center College opened their Panther “Clawset” in September that gives sources to college students together with clothes, sneakers, toiletries, undergarments and meals. Though each are related, Bamford has formidable targets of serving to not solely these in want at their faculty, but additionally folks throughout Larimer County.

“Serving to others is simply one thing superior, however serving to others in want, that’s one other stage,” mentioned Brooks Howard, a pupil at Bamford. “All of us work super-duper arduous to make the Pack Pantry come to life, and everybody was so affected person and empathetic with the method. In all I actually don’t suppose the Pack Pantry can be right here at present serving to folks round our neighborhood if we didn’t work collectively.”

As college students at a Venture Coronary heart faculty, Bamford children are captivated with serving to others and making a distinction. Venture Coronary heart is a program developed by OtterCares that makes use of problem-based studying to show college students to make use of empathy and design considering to make optimistic change of their neighborhood. This ties completely with the targets set for the Pack Pantry. College students not solely see the optimistic change they will make on the planet, however in addition they see that they’ve goal and their studying at school has fast real-world functions. That drive doesn’t finish when college students depart Bamford – on the finish of the grand opening, fifth-grade college students who will quickly transfer onto center faculty requested Poduska if they may come again to assist with the Pack Pantry as sixth graders. 

Gary Bamford’s legacy of generosity and kindness lives on via the college and now the brand new pantry that resides inside it. The grand opening isn’t just about honoring him and his work within the district; it honors the employees, college students, and households which have supported this challenge.  

Brenda Hartman, a longtime administrator in each Denver and Poudre College District who has been nicknamed the “Pack Pantry Champion,” helped the pantry come to life. Her grandchildren attend Bamford Elementary, and as a good friend and colleague of Gary Bamford, she fondly recalled reminiscences of him on the grand opening. 

Not solely was Bamford an distinctive individual and academic chief, he genuinely cared about folks and confirmed it. Hartman mentioned that out of all of the issues he might do in retirement, he grew to become a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. Though the folks he helped had been grateful for the meals he introduced, they regarded ahead to his firm probably the most. 

“It’s no shock {that a} faculty named after this superb man after researching and interested by it will begin a neighborhood meals and clothes pantry,” mentioned Hartman. “Our hope is that you just too will develop into impressed to be part of this endeavor.”  

Hartman encourages others to get entangled by volunteering when the pantry is open, serving to set up donations, contributing financially or just sharing the useful resource to others who may profit. 

For extra data, to donate or to volunteer, electronic mail bamfordpackpantry@gmail.com.