Meet Food for Schools Sponsor Amy Guskiewicz of Fonville Morisey Realty

As a local broker and realtor, Amy Guskiewicz has helped home buyers and sellers in Orange, Chatham, Durham, and Alamance counties since 2014. Prior to getting into the real estate business, she taught elementary school for 11 years in the public and private setting, including some time at Ephesus Elementary. She also was the volunteer coordinator for the School Reading Partners programs at Morris Grove Elementary and McDougle Elementary. Her experience with the schools highlighted the importance of programs like Food for Schools (FFS); she has been a proud sponsor for several years.   

FFS  provides supplemental food to students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools who are hungry and struggling to concentrate in the classroom. Through FFS, PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro provides each school with $1,100 worth of snacks in a school year – $550 at the beginning of the school year and $550 after the holidays. The snacks – cheese crackers, granola bars, applesauce, apples, protein bars, trail mix, fruit bars, and more – are purchased in bulk, brought to a central location, and sorted. Then, school social workers pick up the healthy snacks on a designated day each semester.   

Once the social workers divide the snacks among grade levels within their school, students simply let their teacher know when they are hungry and would like a snack to tide them over during the school day. Each school nurse gets a supply of snacks, too, a vital resource when students aren’t feeling well and need some sustenance.   

To learn more, check out our recent feature on this program.   

“Education is a game changer,” Amy says. “If you’re hungry, you’re not at your best. [Food for Schools] is a way to help kids stay focused and able to learn. The public school system here is a strong one. I taught at Ephesus Elementary School for a couple of years. All of the people I worked with – I was so impressed with their dedication and passion. … this is one way I can help promote a positive learning environment and set kids up for success in the classroom.” 

“[Food for Schools] is fabulous,” says Betsy Booth, Estes Hills Elementary School social worker. “It means teachers aren’t buying [the snacks] themselves. For years, teachers used their own paycheck.”   

Beyond PORCH, Amy is a proud supporter of PlayMakers Repertory Company, Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, and Learning Outside.   

“It takes a village,” she says. “We all live in and are part of this community and should give back in whatever way we can.  This is one way I can help make an impact.” 

View our full list of FFS sponsors and learn more about becoming a sponsor.