Driven by student needs, Class of 1965 makes a big donation to supply ‘Tornado Shelter’
BUTLER TWP — A lot has changed in the 60 years that Rick McClean and his classmates have been graduates of Butler High School, which was evident on a tour the Class of 1965 received from school administrators in October.
While the building has been renovated a few times over and updated with modern technology, the change that struck McClean and his classmates the most was the “Tornado Shelter.” It’s not a bunker where students go in the event of a weather emergency, rather it’s the place they can turn in the event of a personal emergency, like the need for food or clothing.
The Tornado Shelter started as a supplies pantry for students in 2017, but it has now grown to take up a whole senior high school room, which used to be for A/V classes and equipment. The room has food, clothing, hygiene items and a paraprofessional staffing it, and it is accessed by a few students per week, according to administrators.
The fact that the school needs a place to help students at all was surprising to the members of the Class of 1965 — but hearing about how many students need it was even more shocking.
“(Assistant principal) Doug Ford took us through, and one of the things he said is, in the present school, more than 60% of the kids qualify for free or low-cost lunch,” said McClean, who is the treasurer of the Class of 1965. “Almost as an aside, he mentioned this Tornado Shelter — it’s for kids who don’t have as much as other kids. None of us knew anything about this.”
McClean said the impact of the Tornado Shelter, as well as the enthusiasm of the administrators who make it possible, steered the class’ decision to donate the rest of its funds to the resource, as an outreach effort.
In total, the class gave more than $2,300 to the Tornado Shelter, which senior high school principal Jason Huffman said has made a big difference in what the pantry will be able to provide to students in need.
“We’re several thousand dollars ahead of where we were a week ago,” Huffman said.
The Tornado Shelter is located near the main office at Butler Senior High School, and it is regularly staffed by Tammy Binder, a paraprofessional at the high school. Inside are shelves with backpacks piled up on one another; bins filled with food, each labeled with the month the food is set to hit its expiration date; a refrigerator with cold snacks, like applesauce and fruit; and racks lined with all kinds of clothing.
Ford said that the Tornado Shelter has become stocked fully by donations, which come from outside organizations, as well as staff and students of the school. Binder and Shannon McGraw, college tech prep coordinator for the Butler Area School District, stock product donations on the shelves, and also use monetary donations to buy items that are needed from week to week.
“I can’t express how generous our staff are to be able to meet the need of our students,” Ford said.
According to McGraw, the most sought-after items that students come to the shelter for are hygiene products, shampoo, toothbrushes and food. Whether they simply forgot to bring a lunch to school, or they are going through hardships in their personal lives doesn’t matter. Staff members, like school counselors and nurses, also grab items from the shelter, to get to students who may not want to go in for themselves.
In more recent years, the clothing options in the shelter have grown as well, and McGraw said they can be used by students who need dress clothes to attend a job interview or other formal events. The room also has dresses and suits that students can wear to prom and homecoming. Students can even ask Binder for particular clothing or for her to seek items in their size.
“Sometimes I have to go shopping, but we always find what they need,” Binder said.
McGraw also said the Tornado Shelter is also like a continuation of the program the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation runs in the district’s elementary schools, the Kids’ Weekend Backpack Program.
“It has helped for students to go home over the weekend and have food for their family,” McGraw said.
In the years since the founding of the Tornado Shelter, students have also contributed to its stock, with the pantry becoming more of a focus in recent years. McGraw said the pantry has been a target for fundraisers by the school’s sporting teams, which has helped draw even more attention to its mission. The recent decision to give returning alumni tours of the building has also helped raise money, she said.
All the attention from students and the community alike have also cut down on any negative stigma associated with people needing help affording essential items.
“Judgment has been completely erased,” Ford said. “It’s appreciated so much that it’s part of the norm.”
The name “Tornado Shelter” began as a bit of a lark — the term was just thrown out by school administrators in 2017, and it stuck, McGraw said.
But the name helps catch attention from people like McClean, who said he and his classmates had no idea what to expect when the room was mentioned on their school tour, but were blown away by its impact once they saw it.
“We were completely impressed with the program, it really got our attention,” McClean said.
McGraw said the $2,300 donated by the Class of 1965 is the biggest donation the shelter has received thus far. It not only will help the school provide students with daily needs, but help provide Thanksgiving meals to students, as the number who will receive items for the holiday climbs higher than ever before.
According to McGraw, 22 students and their families are on the list to get Thanksgiving meals, which will consist of turkey, mashed potatoes, canned vegetables, desserts and even one board game each, for holiday entertainment after the meal.
Huffman said the federal government shutdown had affected families of the school, whether it be through employees who were not working through the time, or families affected by cuts to SNAP.
“We do have families that rely on those subsidies and families who work for federal government,” Huffman said, “the trend has indicated that there are a lot more people of our community who need a hand up.”
According to Huffman, people can make donations directly to the Tornado Shelter, where money will be spent on supplies to give to students and their families. He said the school will make sure it is put toward the shelter, if it is indicated by a donor.
“If someone is interested in making donations or wants to sponsor something, we will make sure it is put towards (the Tornado Shelter),” Huffman said.
Tornado Shelter donation information
To donate to the Tornado Shelter, contact Butler Senior High School at 724-214-3200, and ask for college tech prep coordinator Shannon McGraw or assistant principal Douglas Ford.
