Beyond the backpack
A new initiative is helping students in rural North Dakota classrooms worry less about basic needs and focus more on learning. Community Care Closets, supported by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation’s Rural Health Grant, are being implemented in schools across the state, including Turtle Lake.
The closets provide essentials such as food, hygiene products, clothing and school supplies to students and families facing hardships. The program is designed to meet these needs discreetly and respectfully, aligning with the Caring Foundation’s mission to improve the health and well-being of North Dakotans by addressing social drivers of health.
Amber Blomberg, executive director of the BCBSND Caring Foundation, said the vision behind the program is to remove barriers that prevent children from thriving in the classroom.