Ithaca High School librarian Rachel McDonald grew up in a restaurant family and battled food insecurity as a young adult. For her, food is not only a basic need but also a way to bring people together. Her passion for food and community building drove her to establish the IHS Community Market. Launched in October 2023, the Community Market strives to battle food insecurity within the IHS community while reducing stigma surrounding the issue.
The Community Market provides students and staff with take-home food during the week. It offers a variety of food products, including fresh produce, canned goods, frozen proteins, easy meals, dairy products, dry goods, snacks, and drinks. Each week, a recipe is created and provided to students based on the food items that are available. At IHS, the Community Market is across from the Community Closet, another IHS library initiative formed in 2019 that provides free toiletries and clothing to students and staff. Students and staff can make food orders through an online form sent via email or a paper form available at the library. Individuals can fill out orders until Universal Lunch. Then, during 6th and 7th periods, volunteers, including students, staff, and parents, pack the orders. Students and staff can pick up orders at the end of the school day. The Community Market is typically open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
IHS’s Community Market is open to anyone, regardless of economic circumstance. At Ithaca High School, thirty-five percent of students enrolled in 2022-23 were economically disadvantaged, putting them at increased risk of food insecurity. In Tompkins County, 9.3 percent of households benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. McDonald explains that food insecurity at IHS presents itself in various ways. “I think with Ithaca High School, there’s both food insecurity that is very kind of in your face, and then there’s more hidden food insecurity,” she said. Indeed, some students and staff struggle with generational poverty, both rural and urban. Some are unhoused or refugees. For families living paycheck to paycheck, the Community Market can be a valuable resource, especially during the winter when the cost of heating contributes to more significant financial strains.
Furthermore, the Community Market alleviates the burden on families by allowing students to access food to take home on the spot. Access to food within one’s workplace or school can overcome the obstacle of time and transportation, presented by a store or food bank. According to a 2022 Community Health Survey led by the Tompkins County Health Department, forty percent of residents have limited access to healthy food due to cost, while twenty-seven percent report that time is the main obstacle.
The Community Market works in partnership with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, ICSD Nutrition, and other local organizations. The Food Bank provides the most significant bulk of food through weekly deliveries. For schools to partner with the Food Bank, they must submit an application and have an on-site and backup coordinator who manages deliveries and inventory. The school must also have a designated area for the food to be kept. ICSD Nutrition has also covered the cost of utensils, can openers, snacks, and culturally affirming foods unavailable through the Food Bank. By only providing take-home food, the Community Market does not compete with ICSD Nutrition meals, such as breakfast and lunch. McDonald says she admires the district’s nutrition department’s efforts, like free lunch and breakfast for all students for the 2023-24 school year.
The Community Market’s food is sourced from local organizations like the Friendship Donation Network (FDN). The FDN collects food that would have been thrown away from local stores and restaurants to then deliver it to the community market. McDonald believes the FDN is vital in its ability to complement the Food Bank by providing, for instance, baked goods, spices, or vegan alternatives. The Community Market also benefited from the December 2023 student food drive in collaboration with AVID and Barbara Bergman, which provided students with holiday baskets containing culturally sensitive foods.
Since November 2023, the Community Market has served 661 children (students, their siblings, and staff members’ children), 974 adults (students’ families and staff members), and 167 seniors in those households. It has also served 4509 snacks to students through Student Services, Associate Principal offices, and Dean’s offices.
The Community Market attempts to reduce stigma by normalizing students’ and staff’s food needs. “A lot of things that are really important, I think for students, are to feel comfortable accessing a resource and to not feel ashamed or like it’s something like a charity model,” said McDonald. For Lucy Walker ’24, a student volunteer at the Community Market, having students and their teachers use the community market together helps break the stigma. “When you pick it up, there are teachers and students all together getting the food, and I think it helps build community in something necessary for life,” said Walker.
The Community Markets also aims to emphasize student involvement and leadership. McDonald notices that students who use the resource also volunteer. “Everything doesn’t have to be a monetary exchange for you to be adding value to your community,” said McDonald. She believes that the Community Market gives students the ability to bring home food to their families, which can be empowering. They also develop life skills by having the ability to put together meals.
The Community Market is looking forward to expanding the resources it provides to the community. McDonald would like to offer a variety of cooking equipment through a borrowing system, like the library does with books. She also hopes to create a recipe book including ideas from staff and students. For instance, Hunter Pokorney ’26, a student volunteer who wishes to pursue culinary training, has developed an interest in developing recipes through the Community Market.
As McDonald put it, “Skill building, empowerment, feeding the world—just another day at the library.”