As the last Culinary Club meeting of the year ends, junior club president Annabella Perk reminds the members as they file out of the room to drop cans off at room D204 before the first semester ends.
Coppell High School Culinary Club has taken its goals in a new direction by adding the food pantry as a new club. With support from members and the leadership staff, it is keeping the pantry organized and full.
Many students do not know about the food pantry. However, thanks to the Culinary Club, the group has been getting hundreds more donations.
Founded by medical terminology teacher Ray Pool in 2008, the food pantry anonymously donates food to Coppell students and families so they can utilize the resources for food, drinks or desserts. Perk and club vice president Quade Dickert organize and label the pantry.
“The first time we worked on it it took about six hours to clean everything up and now it’s a bit quicker because they have categories,” junior Culinary Club social media manager Isheeta Bajjuri said. “Since we are collecting the food, we know which category it goes into.”
The process for students and their families to receive the food they need is easy and quick.

(Kushal Rambhapuri)
“We have string bags and backpacks for them to put food in and take on the way out of the building,” Pool said. “Students may need help to come by, fill up their bag and take it home for their families.”
Since Pool oversees the pantry, he will often personally deliver the bags to families’ homes.
“I get an address from the counselors or our administration and I’ll deliver the food to the homes of wherever it needs to be, making it more personal, too,” Pool said. “The whole community is willing to pitch in once they hear about the food drives and one great aspect about this community is that they do a great job of taking care of their own.”
Another one of the pantry’s contributors is the Coppell wrestling team.
“What they’ll do is instead of charging other teams they tell coaches to tell their athletes to bring canned food,” Pool said. “They save all that and they bring it up here.”
Over the past 16 years that the food pantry has been open, they have received many donations, however, the variety is minimal.
“I can’t tell you how many beans and corn there are, especially because corn is the cheapest item to buy, but kids and families do not want to be eating corn every single day,” Bajjuri said.
The Culinary Club requests the Coppell community and club members to begin bringing seasonings and side dishes to add more flavor and variety to their meals.
“I’ll use the list from Mr. Pool about the items families specifically need and then, we ask our members to find ways to hold donation drives for those selections,” Dickert said. “This way, we won’t be bringing the same stuff over and over again.”
The support and kindness of the community and the Culinary Club’s recent efforts to support the families of Coppell keep the pantry full and running.
“It’s a good opportunity to donate and give back because there’s a lot of kids who need help and Coppell families are very appreciative,” sophomore Culinary Club member Kacey Song said. “This opens up an opportunity for those in need and I think other schools should acknowledge their communities in this way to do what Coppell does.”
With so much support from the community, the food pantry is currently thriving. From starting small to expanding and becoming a district-wide effort, the Culinary Club is bringing attention to the food pantry and making contributions to Coppell.

(Kushal Rambhapuri)