FARMINGTON — Cape Cod Hill Community School is proposing a $50,000 Critical Needs Assistance Program to help students and families with food, clothing, winter gear, emergency support and seasonal needs.

The proposal frames basic-needs support as an attendance and learning strategy, with the school seeking to help students arrive “safe, warm, fed and ready to learn” amid food insecurity, rising housing and utility costs, geographic isolation and Maine winter conditions.

The proposal, as presented to the Regional School Unit 9 board of directors, says Cape Cod Hill Community School has a 93% average student attendance rate and that 74% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch, up from 58% four years ago.

“When basic needs go unmet, learning suffers,” the proposal says.

Among the supports to be offered are a food pantry with monthly food assistance and snacks; a clothing closet with clothing, coats, boots and winter gear; an emergency flex fund for utility, transportation and crisis support; seasonal programs for Thanksgiving, Giving Tree and holiday support; a student gift shop; and resource navigation by a community school coordinator.

The proposal sets annual impact goals that include ensuring all students who have clothing or winter gear needs receive support, serving more than 30 families monthly through emergency food assistance, responding to urgent family crises within 48 hours and serving more than 175 students annually through the student gift shop.

The $50,000 budget includes 42% for food and nutrition, 21% for a coordinator, 14% for clothing and winter gear, 10% for the emergency flex fund and 9% for seasonal programs, according to the proposal shown in board materials.

The estimated investment is $197.14 per student per year, or less than $1.10 per school day. That amount includes estimated annual values of $120 for food assistance, $40 for clothing and winter gear, $25.71 for seasonal programs and $11.43 for the student gift shop.

“Cape Cod Hill Community School’s Critical Needs Assistance Program strengthens families, protects attendance, and creates the conditions for student success,” the proposal says. “Safe. Warm. Fed. Ready to Learn.”

The proposal connects to broader district budget messaging from Superintendent Christian Elkington, who wrote that RSU 9’s budget continues work to support the “whole child,” including emotional and behavioral needs, family home and health needs, and food insecurity.

Further details on the funding source and implementation timeline were not immediately available.