The Student Health Advisory Board (SHAB) is a group of Boothbay Region High School students and advisors who care about students’ health, life, and voice by fighting for equality and youth lead change. We have fun developing action, education and policy filled projects to create positive changes in our school, community and beyond, according to Aminda LaBrecque - SHAB Advisor.

SHAB also advocates for our BRHS Food Closet, available to students on the BRHS campus. The closet was opened and made available to BRHS students in 2015 by an involved BRHS alumni, parent and community member, Julie Roberts. Julie had started the closet with the hopes of providing students with an extra resource of nutrition; emphasizing on the fact that the “food closet is open to everyone, not just students with food insecurity.” Although we currently have some resources that support our food closet, we are looking to expand the intake of resources to the rest of our community.

Donations welcome

The BRHS Food Closet and those advocating for it, are looking to receive donations through the Boothbay Region YMCA (BRYMCA). Given the convenient location of BRHS in relation to the YMCA, moving forward we will be partnering with the YMCA Fridge. They provide some of the same resources that the BRHS food closet does, but for students who use the YMCA.

Our food closet supplies students with extra sources of nutrition after 1 p.m. each school day (to not interfere with our school food programs). Our food closet has: snacks, microwavable items (soup, noodles, pasta, etc.), and other health related resources (feminine products, hygiene items, and school supplies).

By combining both entities of the BRHS Food Closet and YMCA Fridge, we are able to provide students with an extra resource that has proven to be quite beneficial since its opening in 2015. If you have items you are willing to donate to the BRHS Food Closet or the YMCA Fridge, please drop them off to the front desk of the YMCA.