Woodbridge Teacher Built Food Pantries, Helps Keep Students Fed: Patch Shoutout

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Great teachers matter. In Woodbridge, we're fortunate to have teachers like Kelly Ammiano.

Patch has partnered with T-Mobile to recognize teachers and show them how much they’re valued and appreciated.

This submission comes from Jillian Ammiano, who nominated Kelly Ammiano of Woodbridge.

Teacher’s name

Kelly Ammiano

How do you know the teacher?

She is my mother

What does this person teach?

She is a Reading Specialist

Why do you believe the teacher should be recognized or honored?

My mother is probably the kindest person I know. It all started a while back when one of her students told her, she didn’t like the weekends, confused my mom asked why and she was told she really didn’t eat on the weekends. Well this was just unacceptable to my mom & from there she started sending food home with the child. Through the years, it has evolved into this whole project that the school takes part in. After the school's breakfast and lunch, there are bins after the meals that the children can donate the food that they don’t eat, it gets collected and sorted and given to families with food insecurities. Not only this, but since then she has had mini food pantries built all over town that she fills on a weekly basis. There are many people who will go and fill them throughout the week. There are still families where children are no longer in her school, that she will regularly drop off food to their home.

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the teacher?

She takes care of families even after their children have left her building.

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