Atlas Preparatory school’s approach to instruction is built upon three pillars: education, character and community. For more than 10 years now, the charter school’s guiding pillars, through its students, have been exemplified through its food pantry program.

The pantry, located at the Atlas Middle School in southeastern Colorado Springs, is open every Friday to community members and features locally sourced food, both fresh and non-perishable, that is stocked by student volunteers the day prior after school.

Serving an Atlas Prep School student population where 94% qualify for free and reduced lunches, the program officially started a few years after the school opened. It began recording and documenting foot traffic and other metrics in 2014, according to Atlas family engagement manager David Turner.

“This work is directly related to serving the community,” he said.

Pantry volunteer and 11th grader Miguel Torres has worked with the pantry for two years and first heard about the program through family members. He ultimately wants to pursue a career as a social worker following graduation and saw this as an opportunity to meaningfully give back to his community.

“I do want to continue work that makes a difference in our communities and this has been a great way for me to get started doing that,” he said.

The program started off in one of the school’s spare storage rooms. It has grown and sustained itself over the years through various grant funding and food donations from local nonprofits Food to Power, Care and Share and the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger.

The pantry also receive regular food donations both through their own food drives and the local Mexican restaurant and market CarnicerÍa Leonela.

The pantry has added refrigeration and different food items over the years that are both healthy and representative of local cultures. Community members shop in its increased space.

Another 11th grade volunteer, Angelique Pino said the community they serve is not only located mostly in a food desert, but also one with a predominately Hispanic population. Through surveys and speaking directly with those who access the pantry, she said the program has served as a way to learn more about the various people and backgrounds in their community.

“With some groceries being so expensive and a lot of food insecurity in this area, I think that this is a great way to provide people with the food that’s not only good for you, but that reflects their culture as well,” she said.

In addition to serving the public, the work also gives students the opportunity to learn food service skills outside of the classroom like sanitation, proper food storage and customer service.

Volunteers meet at the middle school every Thursday at 3:45 p.m. to sort and arrange the assortment of donations dropped off that morning. The pantry itself is open Fridays, 3-4 p.m.

Because the program has been refined over the years, Erick Ortiz explained that workflow is often seamless across the students.

“We don’t really have it planned out (ahead of time),” he said. “We mostly all get here and figure out what we’re all doing that day and get to work.”

The program has also provided students opportunities to innovate.

The program experienced its single greatest growth in community interest during the COVID-19 pandemic, where community members accessing the pantry grew from 15 to 50 every week. Students adapted to the barriers and restrictions in place at the time by delivering food to individual homes and cars in the parking lot.

Following COVID, a QR code sign-in system was implemented to better control flow and crowding. Turner explained that developments like these over the years were born from the students’ ideas rather than any school staff.

“This work is very hard, but it’s so rewarding,” he said. “And what I think is most encouraging is that I get new kids every two or three years and they come in with the same amount of care for their community.”

For their work with the program, both Torres and Pino were selected as speakers at the 2023 Colorado Food Summit where stakeholders statewide discuss challenges and opportunities throughout food and agriculture systems. Pino said their volunteerism provided the framework to conduct research for an industry-wide problem.

“One thing we learned about that we ended up presenting (on) was the amount of food waste there is in the world just because of all the food that still gets wasted here,” Pino said.

With the program as popular as ever, it plans to remain open following the end of the school year through at least the month of June, depending on student availability.

Turner said finding willing students this time of year hasn’t been an issue in the past.

“I wouldn’t blame these kids if they didn’t want to come in on Thursdays and Fridays during their breaks,” he said. “But we have had quite a few continue to come in throughout the summer.”

In 2024, the pantry has averaged about 80 households utilizing it per month, with the school recording other demographics such as the number of children, adults, seniors and household sizes. The school does not record any additional information or paperwork from those accessing the pantry other than their name and whether it’s their first visit or not.

Upon the completion of the new Atlas Middle School building in 2026, there are plans for the pantry to move into a larger room for greater space and additional utilities like sinks.

“Obviously I’m a little biased, but I think this has been the best investment that this school has made,” Turner said.