Lansing Lunchbox ensures no student goes hungry

Last month, Lansing at Large covered the wonderful work of the Lansing Food Pantry and its efforts to provide food to families in need (t.ly/0HCG). This week, we’re taking a look at an organization that was only mentioned briefly in that article — Lansing Lunchbox — which works in tandem with the Lansing Food Pantry to ensure students’ food needs are met year round.

As covered in a previous Lansing at Large column (t.ly/GI6fN), Lansing Lunchbox is only a few years old. It was started in 2019 by Lansing Parent Teacher Organization members Toni Adams, Amy Frith, Linda Pasto and Susan Tabrizi, and was first called Lansing Summer Lunchbox.

Tabrizi has lived in Lansing since 2007 and has two students at Lansing schools. When she retired from her professor job at Wells College in early 2020, she had more time to dedicate to Lansing Lunchbox and its valuable mission.

“It’s important to me because I want to make sure that kids in our community have the foundation that they need to succeed, to thrive, to be healthy and happy,” she said. “Food is a basic and essential component for those things. And so, being able to facilitate that, to help kids get what they need, is, I think, very important not only to me, but most importantly, to them. And so, in being able to serve in that way, that’s where the reward comes to me. But again, it’s not about me; the work is the reward.”

Lansing Lunchbox was originally founded under the plan to provide groceries for students over the summer months, when programs like free and reduced-priced lunch weren’t available in schools.

“Lansing does not qualify for some of the summer food programs through the USDA and other summer programs, or we didn’t at the time, and so, kids were not being served during that time,” Tabrizi said. “We quickly realized that we could also support over school breaks. And so, in February of 2020 … we think, ‘OK, winter break, let’s do a program.’ And we did, and it was well received.”

And then, March 2020 came around, and that plan had to quickly be adjusted.

“We were like, ‘Oh, OK, the schools are going to close. That means kids are not going to have access to that food that they were getting at school,’” Tabrizi said. “At this point, we’re focused on the kids who are getting their food primarily through school. And we said, ‘Let’s do an emergency distribution.’ And we’ve been running every two weeks ever since.”

So, every two weeks — usually on weeks opposite of Lansing Food Pantry’s distribution schedule — Lansing Lunchbox provides groceries to families with students in Lansing Central School District. Families can sign up online and choose what groceries they want in their bag, Tabrizi said, which are then distributed out of the Lansing Food Pantry headquarters at 1767 E. Shore Dr.

“We’re not in the business of giving people what we think they need,” Tabrizi said. “We are in the business of giving people what they want. And that’s our story. That’s what we do. And I don’t see an ending, unfortunately.”

Tabrizi said Lansing Lunchbox’s journey would not have been possible without immense community support, especially from the Lansing Food Pantry.

“We have a seamless partnership,” Tabrizi said. “[Food Pantry Director] Toni Adams is an unbelievable powerhouse. She’s the amazing glue that makes all this work. And Toni not only directs the Food Pantry, but she is a principal partner in Lansing Lunchbox. … Toni’s been a huge guide in helping us figure out a relationship with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and basically how to do our job. And so, our relationship with the pantry is we are indebted to them and [they’re] kind of like our big sister.”

The partnership between the Food Pantry and Lansing Lunchbox lets Lansing Lunchbox focus on families with students, allowing the Lansing Food Pantry to fill in the gaps throughout the rest of the community, Tabrizi said.

Since Lansing Lunchbox is relatively new, it didn’t know much of a routine before COVID-19. Still, the pandemic required a lot of adaptation.

“Not only were we needed and running every two weeks, [but] we also were in a situation where we had to limit volunteers because we had to keep our staff safe,” Tabrizi said. “We had to design a process by which our clients would be kept as safe as possible as well. … We also adapted a drive-thru model and an online ordering model. … That’s how the pandemic affected us, in making us lean, making us efficient, making us cognizant of the face-to-face interaction that we have with folks.”

Like the Lansing Food Pantry, once Lansing Lunchbox switched to drive-thru, staff discovered it was a far more efficient model and plan to keep it up for the foreseeable future. And the online model allows for more family choice in the food they’re getting.

“As we always say, there is nothing in a Lansing Lunchbox that we wouldn’t bring home and feed to our own families,” Tabrizi said. “We are always seeking out something fun for kids because kids are our clients, and every kid deserves a treat. And we want to make sure that we’re giving parents the type of food that they know is going to support their kids. And it’s going to take just that — even if it’s just a little — pressure off of them so they can go to sleep at night knowing it’s OK.”

Overall, Lansing Lunchbox has weathered the pandemic fairly well, serving roughly 100 kids every two weeks, and their efforts have been immensely appreciated.

“We are met with smiles and thank-yous and friendly folks who we get to know their faces over time,” Tabrizi said. “It becomes a community event in that we know that the work that we’re doing is supporting our neighbors. And we do everything that we can to make an inviting environment, to welcome people, to thank them for coming and putting their trust in us and allowing us the opportunity to serve them. It’s been great. And I hope that people can see that we are dedicated to those ideals of quality and empathy and dignity.”

This year, Lansing Lunchbox is working to spread community awareness of its program and the help it can provide. In addition, Tabrizi is hoping to expand the organization’s reach and offerings.

“I’d love to see us be able to provide more fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said. “We always have fresh fruit on our menu. But vegetables, we have frozen vegetables, which are great. So, being able to do that would be great. Beyond that, I don’t know what’s next for Lansing Lunchbox. I just know that we will continue to be here.”

No matter what’s next for Lansing Lunchbox, Tabrizi said she and others remain dedicated to serving the community.

“Food is life,” she said. “We want to make sure that we are providing for everybody. And so, I think in the community, it’s a way of the community showing that we care for one another, for our neighbors. As I always say, it’s important that the kid who sits next to my kid is not hungry. And it’s my responsibility to work toward that in partnership and it’s a team with other members of the community.”

To learn more about Lansing Lunchbox, visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/LansingLunchbox or email lansingsummerlunchbox@gmail.com.

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.