In Searcy, located in White County in central Arkansas, a growing partnership is working to address a need many communities face: making sure students have enough to eat outside of school.
Through Communities Unlimited’s (CU) Community Sustainability work, Facilitator and Healthy Foods Coordinator Brenda Williams has spent the past several months bringing people together — starting with conversations.
Working through the Town Square Collaborative at the University of the Ozarks — a program that supports rural communities by equipping local leaders and congregations to address community needs — Williams facilitated meetings with local leaders, congregations, and school representatives to better understand the challenges facing families in Searcy.
One priority quickly rose to the surface: food insecurity. With Arkansas ranking among the highest in the nation, and nearly 1 in 5 households (19.4%) struggling to access adequate food between 2022 and 2024 according to USDA data, local partners began looking for ways to support students who may not have reliable meals on weekends.
That effort led to the Searcy School District Food Pantry Program, supported by a $10,000 grant from Trust for Civic Life, a CU partner that funds local, community-driven initiatives. The funding — identified and facilitated through CU — provided backpacks and food for students to take home each Friday.
“We’re coming together as a community to help kids who may not have food over the weekend. The backpack program gives them meals so they don’t have to go without.”
— Tallie Reynolds, Searcy School District
The program is expected to serve between 100 and 150 students, with backpacks filled with easy-to-prepare items like ravioli, granola, applesauce, and other nutritious options.
“We’re making sure it’s food that helps with their growth,” Reynolds said.
That collaboration has been key.
Local congregations, school leaders, and volunteers have aligned around a shared goal: supporting students and families in a meaningful, immediate way. On April 8, students gathered inside Ahlf Junior High to pack food bags alongside congregation leaders, school staff, and CU, working together to move the project forward.
Students themselves said the project will make an immediate impact.
“I think the food bags are very good for our school,” said Magnolia Burton, an eighth grader at Ahlf Junior High. “You never really know what different kids are going through. It helps them be in the right mindset at school so they have the nutrients and energy they need throughout the day.”
As the program gets underway, congregation leaders see it as a foundation they can build on — one that could expand to meet additional needs in the future. The effort reflects CU’s broader approach: listen first, build relationships, and support community-led work as residents take action on what matters most.
“It’s been an amazing journey working with Searcy,” Williams said. “I see them going on to larger and greater opportunities and being able to receive additional funding. I think this is just the beginning.”
“We are grateful to Brenda Williams and the staff of Communities Unlimited,” said Rev. Michael Bolin of First United Methodist Church in Searcy.
“It has helped us feel like we are on the path that is sustainable to doing the good that we seek to do as a community.”
— Rev. Michael Bolin
As that momentum continues, students like Burton see the difference it can make beyond the classroom.
“It can help the whole community. It not only helps the kids, but the families as well and helps them feel more safe as a community.”
— Magnolia Burton, Searcy Junior High
