Hanna Colvis and Mrs. Kern created a food pantry program for students known as “Just for Jackets.” They launched the program in October of last year.

Colvis, a Chester High School senior, tells the Sting that “The goal is to have the students be able to come and get a quick snack in the morning if they couldn’t have breakfast and also give bags of food to students in need every other week.”

Colvis developed “Just for Jackets” through her involvement with the Women’s Leadership Initiative. The mission of the Initiative is to educate, inspire, and empower the generation of female leaders. Colvis said this was the first year high school students were included in the program.
The program consists of two components: mentors and mentees. Mentors and mentees submitted information about their career field/career goals and statements about what they hoped to gain from a mentoring relationship. Mentor/mentee matches are based upon many different factors such as career interests, geographic proximity, and sometimes other factors such as similarity of personalities, shared interests, or mentorship goals. Together, Colvis and her mentor decided on a food pantry project.

Some sponsors of the “Just for Jackets” program, which her mentor helped Colvis contact, include Roziers, Love Abby, and Gilsters. She hopes that more people will contribute to the project and find others who are willing to help along the way. She has also received donations of food and gift cards from Jacket fans attending Chester basketball games.

“I have given 14 out of the 16 bags I made over Christmas break so that the students who didn’t have food at home could have it during Christmas break,” Colvis said. “I have also given out a few other bags since being back in school after break.” And she hopes to sprout new ideas to get the student body involved. One of her ideas includes a class competition to see which class brings the most usable food in.

“I just want to get the word out there; the idea is to get the community more involved,” Colvis said. “I’m trying to bring people together. It’s just to help the student body as a whole. You never know who needs food at home, and there is no shame in getting a bag if you need it. If you are interested in getting a bag and weren’t offered one during Christmas break, send me an email and I can add you to the list.”

To contact Colvis, email [email protected]