Student-run Monomoy SHORE Food Pantry helps students build life skills and a caring community

The in-school food pantry provides snacks for 100 students each day and helps feed 30 local families
The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program donated $10,000 to help expand access to nutritious foods for students and families in need 

On June 11, 2025, Monomoy Regional High School celebrated the expansion of the “SHORE Pantry,” an initiative to combat food insecurity in the community. The pantry is run by students enrolled in the “Students Have Opportunities for Recreation and Employment” (SHORE) program. SHORE provides vocational training and transitional services to young adults ages 18-22 with autism or intellectual disabilities. The students oversee the day-to-day operation of the pantry, which serves daily snacks for 100 students and helps provide food boxes for more than 30 Harwich families each week. 

The SHORE students collaborated with the team at their local Harwich Stop & Shop (111 Brewster-Chatham Road) to start the pantry and help their classmates, 54% of whom live at or below the poverty line and face food insecurity daily. The pantry gives the student organizers a chance to practice important life skills (data entry, customer service skills, packing skills, sorting skills) and it helps build a community of kindness and respect at the school. 

“Our food pantry has become a hands-on classroom by teaching job readiness skills, empowering students, and feeding both bodies and hearts across Monomoy,” said Shana Grogan, SHORE Program Post Graduate Special Needs Lead Teacher at MRHS.  “Through the food pantry, our students gain meaningful work experience while making a real difference for Monomoy families in need."
“I love everything about working with Laurie at Stop and Shop! And I love how we help people with the SHORE Food Pantry," said Eli Eldredge, SHORE Student at Monomoy Regional High School. 

In addition to the weekly food donations from the local Harwich store, The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program has committed a total of $10,000 to help support the SHORE Pantry and stock its shelves with nutritious food. The Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program was established in 2019 to limit barriers impacting students’ ability to succeed in the classroom by making sure that they have consistent access to food. The program currently supports 4 in-school food pantries across Cape Cod and serves over 260 schools across the northeast. It is one of the largest school food pantry programs in the country. Stop & Shop makes annual grants to support its school pantry partners, so Monomoy Regional High School will have the opportunity to re-apply for funding in 2026 and beyond. Stop & Shop also partners with the SHORE program to hire students in its Harwich store. 

“The student team at the SHORE pantry are talented and passionate partners who want to make a difference in Harwich, and we’re so proud we can help support them with that mission,” said Shannon Karafian, Manager of Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry Program. “We hope the SHORE pantry will be a resource where students can find nourishment and gain skills that empower them to succeed in and outside of the classroom. Stop & Shop is committed to expanding our program to serve more schools across Cape Cod”

Immediately following the ribbon cutting ceremony, Stop & Shop provided the cafeteria with free popsicles for all Monomoy Regional High School students. The Stop & Shop community food truck hosted an ice cream social for the SHORE Students, honoring their work running the pantry. 

About Stop & Shop:
A neighborhood grocer for more than 100 years, Stop & Shop is focused on delivering a wide assortment of fresh, healthy options at a great value through strong weekly sales and everyday low prices. Its new GO Rewards loyalty program delivers personalized offers and allows customers to earn points that can be redeemed for gas or groceries every time they shop. Stop & Shop customers can choose however they want to shop - whether it's in-store or online, which offers both delivery and same day pickup. The company is committed to making an impact in its communities by fighting hunger and working to ensure no students has to go to school hungry through its Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program. The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC is an Ahold Delhaize USA Company and employs over 50,000 associates and operates more than 350 stores throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com.