Mr. Patrice is the district coordinator of community wellness and belonging for the Winooski School District. His office and the school Necessity Store are in the well-lit atrium near the school entrance and cafeteria. The Necessity Store welcomes students, faculty, and community members to get essential items, similar to a food shelf. The goal, Mr. Patrice says, is “to make sure that our students can prioritize education.”
Spend a few minutes in the lobby of the Winooski School, and you are bound to hear a student call out, “Mr. Patrice! Can I come see you later?
Three years ago, when Mr. Patrice started the school Necessity Store, he worked with students to identify the items they wanted and needed. He prioritized building relationships with students and addressing the stigma associated with shopping there: “Some students, at the beginning, they felt like ‘ohh I’m too cool to come to the store, you know, but you have to build a relationship with the students. You say, ‘Okay, listen. I went through the same thing too and it’s okay to take food home. There’s nothing wrong with that. You shouldn’t be ashamed of that.’ I work with the students on what they want to see in the store. This is just like any regular store. Basically, I buy things that our students would like to take home.
“Kids love to come in, which is great. It’s a safe space for them… It’s open to the community as well—families, they come once a month. Some of our faculty as well.”
The store’s shelves and cooler offer shelf-stable goods, produce, and dairy items. Perishable food comes primarily through Vermont Foodbank’s Vermonters Feeding Vermonters program—supported by donors like you. Mr. Patrice says this grant funding from the Foodbank is one of his favorite things about the partnership. It enables him to purchase local products and support local producers. He gets weekly deliveries of “eggs, milk, maple syrup, I have potatoes, beans, onions—it’s all grown in Vermont.”
Patrice uses funds donated by community members to shop at local stores: “I get Nepalese food, African food, I get American food—we want to make sure we diversify the food so the kids have different variety.”
A separate section is filled with bins of socks, shelves of boots, a hat rack, coats, and hygiene items like soap and shampoo. These goods are mostly donated by the local community.
“It has really, really, helped many, many families. Kids say, ‘Mr. Patrice? We really depend on this pantry. My mom tells me every day to make sure I stop at this store every time you are open. Every time you have eggs to make sure I stop there.’ It makes a difference.
“Apple cider is very popular right now. As soon as you see apple cider out there, you will see, I’m telling you, 30 to 40 kids lined up. It’s great to see that kids are excited to come to grab food. I want to make sure everybody gets a piece of it. It’s just a beautiful, beautiful thing. We have a lot of newcomers that come to the country. And they literally have nothing and it’s nice to have that extra support.”
Mr. Patrice leans into relationships and listening. As a role model and trusted adult, students seek him out to share their challenges and receive support. He has developed a deep understanding of the many needs and strengths across the Winooski community, and employs that understanding to co-create solutions. With help from the community and friends like you, he provides essentials like rice and soap, treasures like apple cider and prom dresses, and the reassurance that there will always be something at the store for students to bring home.
Back in the atrium, an elementary student approaches Mr. Patrice and asks what time he can come visit. Later, when the store opens, students will browse “for things that they can take home for the weekend—tuna or potatoes or mac and cheese. I tell them there’s more stuff coming on Monday, so come back on Monday.”
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