MESA, Ariz — When Robert Maldau took over as principal at the Eisenhower Center for Innovation, he knew the jobs would come with its challenges. He saw a school full of promising young students, but test scores weren’t meeting expectations.
It didn’t take long for Maldau to realize that many of his Pre-K through sixth-grade students faced food insecurity; they didn’t know where their next meal would come from.
The Pantry at Eisenhower
The Eisenhower Center for Innovation now houses a robust food pantry. Its shelves are now stocked with grocery items and snacks provided by local charities and United Food Bank.
“My favorite part is having that food readily available for families,” said Shirley Covarrubias, the Family Support Specialist at ECFI. “You know, if they call in, or if we have a family come into the office saying, ‘we don't have food at home,’ we can get a bag and pack up stuff up for them and it's ready to go.”
One of Covarrubias’ responsibilities as a support specialist is to make sure food from the pantry makes it into the kitchens of families who need it most.
“It means that students at our school and their families can get amazing access to food,” said Maldau. “When I advertise it for our school and I'm running announcements, I say, ‘Hey guys, it's kind of like getting free groceries for the next two weeks’,”
Ties to the community
Maldau took the position of principal to make a difference in the lives of his students. To do that, he needed to earn the trust of the community.
“Kids that are hungry, kids that are worried about dinner tonight, have a much harder time learning, a harder time being creative, a harder time feeling safe and helping others to feel safe,” Maldau said.
The pantry at ECFI was the gateway into the community that Maldau needed.
“The [parents] understand that their priorities are our priorities, and that trust can be leveraged not only to help their kids have the food they need but to have a much better experience in school as well,” Maldau explained.
Pandemic and beyond
The pantry was a lifeline for the community during the Covid pandemic. Families were hit hard by the lockdowns and needed something to make ends meet. Today, with inflation and other economic tribulations pulling at families, the pantry is in more demand than ever.
“Summer of a Million Meals does make a difference for our families and students,” Covarrubias said. “Specifically, they get that extra meal that they would be getting at school through [during the school year] from United Food Bank, which is life-changing.”
Thanks, in part, to the ready access to food, the students at ECFI are finally reaching their potential.
“For the first time in our school's history, we were named an A-plus school of excellence by the Arizona Educational Foundation. That was historic for us, and it was so exciting,” Principal Maldau said. “There were a lot of factors that went into that, but I'm certain that United Food Bank and the partnership was one of those key factors.”
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