Bread of the Mighty partners with Mach Charitable Trust to launch Buchholz High School Food Pantry
Press release from Bread of the Mighty
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Bread of the Mighty (BOTM), a regional food bank serving four counties in North Central Florida and a branch of Feeding Northeast Florida (FNEFL), today announced the launch of the Buchholz High School food pantry, generously funded by the Gainesville-based neighborhood charitable organization, the Mach Charitable Trust (MACH Trust). This initiative marks a significant milestone as the first student-run school pantry in the area, designed to discreetly provide essential food resources to students and their families grappling with food insecurity.
The new pantry hosted its official ribbon-cutting ceremony in November 2025. It is operated by students in the school’s DECA club, part of its Entrepreneurship Academy, a group focused on preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in Marketing, Finance, Hospitality, and Management (MFHM) and overseen by Pantry Director and Entrepreneurship Academy teacher Terry Hoffer. “This pantry is special because it’s driven by students, fueled by compassion, and dedicated to ensuring that no member of our school family goes hungry,” shared Hoffer.
The pantry operates every Monday from 3 to 4 p.m. and offers shelf-stable proteins and produce to students in need –– no questions asked. The Mach Trust has committed to providing full inventory support for the next four years, ensuring the pantry’s sustainability in the future.
“The Mach Charitable Trust’s goals are to help the most vulnerable and lend a helping hand to those who are in need,” said Lisa Reid, a Trustee of the Mach Trust. “It’s our hope the Buchholz School Pantry will do just that in a discreet manner for the students and families in our area. Our goal is to bridge the gaps and place more pantries in other schools. We wish all the best to the hardworking students and staff members who are working in the pantry to help make it a success.”
The need for accessible food assistance within local schools is critical. Hunger, specifically childhood hunger, remains a persistent challenge across the four counties served by Bread of the Mighty. Currently, one in seven people are facing some level of food insecurity across its service area, including one in five children. School pantries offer crucial, accessible, and confidential resources to address this issue directly where children spend a large amount of their time.
“We’re excited to partner with the MACH Trust and Buchholz to make this pantry a reality,” said Patrick Dodds, Executive Director of Bread of the Mighty. “School pantries are one of the best ways to increase access for families, because they meet people where they already are and remove so many of the barriers that can stand in the way of getting help.”
For more information about where to find food near you, or to get involved with the food bank, visit breadofthemighty.org.
Does this mean no more tax payer funded free lunch (and every other damn meal too) ? Parents…..feed your own children. I worked 2 and 3 jobs to feed my five and so can you.
They don’t want to work, just find ways to get from government. Between welfare, food stamps, Sec 8 housing, WIC, BOTM giveaways, other food pantries, they don’t have to. They need to add a requirement to show up and do light work for the gov or approved non-profit at least 15 hours a week to get on gov programs named above, any missed hours are added on the next week. Studies show adding any physical work requirement cuts off 25 to over 50%* of users. What does that tell you? Many are Lazy Grifters.
For SNAP (food stamps) trials across the U.S. showed 53% of non-disabled people dropped off with any work requirement added,
Food Pantry? Not good. It’s still going to parents as the kids take the weekly goods home. Free lunches ok with me, Does BOTM get any funds from taxpayers?
Yes, you guessed it: from City of Gainesville, Alachua County, North Fl, etc So the ever increasing TAXES in Gangsville is going to homes that can cut back on groceries. I’m don’t think they are going to ask a kid how much do you parents make before handing them boxes of groceries. Another use of our taxpayer funds.