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Major donation helps Utah high school students provide food for friends

Posted at 7:22 PM, Nov 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-20 23:49:48-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- In Salt Lake, the words "east side" tend to mean money.

"East High" tends to evoke images of a Disney Musical.

But when you walk the halls of East High School, it's clear the student body doesn't fit a posh or cute stereotype.

It's a place that brings together all angles of Salt Lake Society, says Principal Greg Maughan.

"We have between 60 and 70 percent free and reduced lunch. We have a high population of refugees and English learners, and a high population of homeless," Maughan said.

Those populations, he says, enrich the school.

"That's part of the fabric that intertwines and interweaves to make our family fabric so strong," said Maughan.

On Tuesday, the school announced a new partnership with Smith's Stores, helping them continue a service they've been providing even as fundraising has stressed their time and energy.

Smith's will supply about 70 thousand dollars of food and other nutrition for the Leopard Stash, the East High School Food Pantry that provides a place for students to get a healthy snack and a place for parents to supplement the family's groceries.

East High Senior Karime Garcia volunteers at the Leopard Stash, saying it's important for her friends to have something in their stomachs so they can focus on their lessons.

"It helps students be more focused in school," Garcia said.