FLORENCE, Ky. — With the start of the school year in full swing across the commonwealth, ensuring families have enough to eat is more important than ever. In northern Kentucky, GO Pantry is stepping up to the plate, working tirelessly to make sure no child goes hungry through its "GO Bag" program.

What You Need To Know

  • GO Pantry has been around for 12 years, feeding thousands of children across northern Kentucky

  • Through the “Go Bags” program, volunteers pack bags filled with food, helping students survive the weekends they aren't in school

  • The pantry heavily relies on volunteers and partnerships to provide, package and deliver the food to schools

  • Children without access to food struggle to focus in school

This is one of the busiest times of the year for GO Pantry, and they see an increase of families in need.

Making sure these children get nutritious meals wouldn’t be possible without the help of volunteers like Lyn Zurborg. She has been volunteering for about three years and says it all started when a friend recommended it.

“A friend had volunteered. And so, we just had the time and thought, what a great you know, opportunity. And as we learn more about it, and after coming here a couple of times, it really just reinforced that,” she said.

Now it’s become a part of her monthly ritual to give back, especially when thinking about children across northern Kentucky.

Zurborg said, “You just really kind of forget what they might be up against. You don’t really think about it. You think everybody has access to things. And, you know, this really just made me really aware of how many people are in need.”

According to No Kid Hungry data, the learning outcomes for children suffer when they regularly experience hunger, and every physical and mental function can be negatively affected.

Co-founder of Go Pantry, Laura Dumancic, says she’s seen firsthand how the food they provide changes a child.

“Not only does it provide food for them to get through, those couple of days are away from school, but it also can provide a sense of security. It can provide a sense of hope. It can just make them feel more loved. And because of that, they can do better in school,” Dumancic said.

They’ve been dedicated to the cause for 12 years, relying on the help of volunteers and partnerships to packaging up thousands of meals and delivering them to school children who rely on school lunches throughout the school year.

Zuborg says knowing that makes all the difference.

“This is going out, and it’s going to be helping kids immediately. So, we are just really happy about doing that. It’s immediate gratification in your volunteer efforts,” she said.

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