When Arlington, a K-8 school in the Pittsburgh Public School system, opened a food and clothing pantry inside its school building last fall, support from nearby Mt. Lebanon residents quickly made a measurable difference.

The Arlington Eagle Resource Room offers students and their families access to no-cost food, clothing, hygiene items and other essentials. Through generous donations, the room remains stocked with age-appropriate clothing, coats and shoes, along with a complete food pantry. School supplies and snacks are also available for students.

“This is another close-knit community that is very near to us,” said Meghan Larsen-Reidy, Vallevista Avenue, who works at the Arlington area Mary Queen of Peace Parish. Larsen-Reidy helped coordinate early support for the pantry. “I realized I could leverage living in Mt. Lebanon, reaching out to friends who live here to say, ‘Hey, this place is very close to us. Their kids are also walking to school, but many don’t have food at home at night … Would you be willing to help me get this off the ground?’”

Through private donations, grants and volunteer labor, the pantry officially opened in November. In its first week, 50 Arlington families signed up to receive food, Larsen-Reidy said.

Today, the pantry supports students during the school day and serves families through scheduled food pickups and emergency requests. More than 70 students receive weekend food backpacks each Friday, filled with items they can prepare themselves.

James Fogarty, executive director of A+ Schools, a nonprofit that helped establish the pantry and keeps it running, said the resource room plays a critical role in meeting basic needs that directly affect student well-being.

“If a child doesn’t have enough food or doesn’t have appropriate clothing, that can affect whether they come to school ready to learn,” Fogarty said.

The need has continued to motivate Mt. Lebanon families, who have responded with large-scale donations and volunteer support.

“There are a lot of very generous people in Mt. Lebanon,” Larsen-Reidy said. “Once they were aware of what was happening at Arlington, they really stepped up.”

That awareness helped spark a districtwide Mt. Lebanon Council PTA food drive earlier this year to replenish nonperishable items at the pantry.

PTA Council President Stacie Carlson, Parkridge Lane, first learned about the Arlington Eagle Resource Room through a Facebook post and recognized an opportunity for Mt. Lebanon schools to support a nearby community.

In February, working with Danielle Gill, Arlington’s community schools site manager, the council organized a districtwide food drive, with donation boxes in each of the district’s 10 schools. They collected canned vegetables, canned fruit, crackers, macaroni and cheese, canned meat, granola bars, toothpaste, cereal, pasta sauce and boxes of fruit snacks and cookies.

“We filled three large SUVs and one pickup truck to the max,” Carlson said. “When I arrived at the school, Danielle came out with one rolling bin to collect the donations, and I said, ‘I don’t think that’s going to work.’ I pointed to the line of vehicles outside. It was a wonderful problem.”

Larsen-Reidy said the food drive enabled Arlington to focus its funding on “fresh food like produce, dairy and meat.”

According to Fogarty, 40 to 50 Arlington families receive food boxes every two weeks, each including fresh items made possible through community support.

He said the partnership highlights how nearby communities can work together when the need is clear.

“Arlington is just a few miles from Mt.  Lebanon,” he said. “When people understand the need and see a clear way to help, they respond.”

A permanent donation box for the Arlington Eagle Resource Room is available at Eden’s Market, 99 Alfred Street.