TURNERS FALLS — As a final send-off, Franklin County Technical School’s Class of 2025 gave a $5,000 donation to the school’s new food pantry, which was established to meet an increase in student demand for food.

According to guidance counselor and food pantry founder Taryn Canfield, the donation will help the food pantry stay stocked with pre-packaged snacks and other nonperishable food. The donation was presented during the Franklin Tech School Committee meeting on June 12.

Canfield, who also started supplying personal hygiene products for students a few years ago, said she’s seen in an increase in need for both food at home and during the school day over the past school year. Although students receive free breakfast and lunch, some students express a need for more sustenance throughout the day, particularly if they have sports games going into the evening.

So, Canfield reached out to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to seek guidance on how to establish a food pantry at the school. Eventually, she decided to partner with them to create what she believes to be the first food pantry within a high school in Franklin County, with The Brick House Community Resource Center in Turners Falls serving as the fiscal sponsor.

Canfield is responsible for the logistics of ordering and inventorying the food, which is kept in a small storage room.

“It’s open to each student, every single school day. There’s no limit on what student can access it, how many times they can access it,” Canfield explained.

She added that students who take food will be asked to fill out a form detailing the number of members in their family, as well as if they have accessed the pantry within the last month. Canfield emphasized that this will not prevent students from accessing the pantry again, but rather, the data collected will enable the program to eventually grow.

Canfield noted there will be staple items available in the library — items like oatmeal, rice, pasta sauce, tuna and other canned goods. In the nurse’s office and guidance office, there will be snacks available throughout the day to fill in gaps left between the free breakfast and lunch. Students can also take the food home to their families.

Additionally, Canfield noted the pantry is available over the summer — a particularly critical time, she said, as free breakfasts and lunches are not available to students who normally rely on them. She explained the students can come into the building between 10 a.m. and noon over the summer, and ask to go into the food pantry at the front desk.

Over time, Canfield hopes the program will grow. She noted an interest in partnering with the Landscaping & Horticulture Department to start a student-run garden to supplement the food provided by the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. As Franklin Tech is exploring the idea of constructing a new school or renovating the existing building in the coming years, Canfield said the food pantry could be expanded in a new space.

The pantry accepts monetary and food donations, including nonperishable items and produce that does not require refrigeration.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman contributed to this report.