Brothers Team Up to Build Mini Food Pantry

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Josef and Tomie Weinzierl-Binus pose with their pantry outside of the Hillside Community Church in Tyrone.

Last spring eighth-grader Josef and fifth-grader Tomie Weinzierl-Binus of Altoona built and painted a mini food pantry with the help of their parents, stocked it with food, and installed it at the Hillside Community Church in Tyrone. The project was offered by the Design Factory program through the Sarah Heinz Boys and Girls Club.

The virtual seven-week program was one of the many enrichment activities that the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (PA Cyber) offers to its students. Participants from across the state received materials in the mail at no cost and built the pantries at home. They learned how food pantries help people who live with food insecurity. PA Cyber offers several hands-on programs in which students learn how engineering creates solutions to everyday problems.

In an interview with PA Cyber, Josef wasn’t interested in receiving recognition for a job well done. From his perspective, he did it because it needed to be done and it helps people. The end. He didn’t want to discuss it anymore. It was his little brother Tomie who expressed interest in the project initially, even though the program was meant for older students like Josef. Josef agreed to take on the project, with his little brother working along his side and their parents guiding them.

Their mother Jenn Weinzierl-Binus explains that Josef has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). “His emotions don’t always come across. He wants to help other people but doesn’t always know how. Projects like those offered by the school provide him with an opportunity to give back and fulfill a need to help people. Unfortunately, he gets embarrassed when he’s talking about something that should make him feel good about himself.”

One of the goals of the project was to help Josef practice expressing empathy for others. “With his ASD, he may care about something deeply, but he can come across as unsympathetic,” says Jenn. “He used money that he received for a birthday gift to stock the pantry. He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t care. It’s a common misconception about children on the spectrum, but he reflects a great deal on things that concern him before acting on them because he wants to do the most good that he can with what he has.”

Josef included dog and cat food in the pantry. “If you can barely afford food for yourself, it’s even harder to feed your pets,” he says. “Pets are important companions and make people feel better.”

The project was also a nice way for the boys to practice mitzvahs—or good deeds—as part of their religious practice. And it was an opportunity for them to do something with their father Derek who has been contending with health problems.

Jolene McLaughlin, the representative of PA Cyber’s State College regional office, helped find a home for the finished pantry. She says, “One of the best parts of my job is helping with our community outreach programs. I love that PA Cyber puts so much emphasis on helping the communities in which our offices reside and our families live. When Jenn reached out for help finding a home for the pantry, I was more than happy to pitch in. I am so glad that the boys’ pantry blessed the Tyrone community because it has seen a lot of use since being installed.”

Finding the Right Fit at PA Cyber

Before joining PA Cyber, the Weinzierl-Binus brothers faced several traumatic and physically harmful bullying incidents at a brick-and-mortar school. They became reserved and quiet. Jenn and Derek then enrolled their sons at a cyber school but were left wanting more opportunities for socialization, support, and resources for their children. They enrolled the boys at PA Cyber in 2018. After a few years at the school, Jenn says her sons are “so different from how they were, and they’re much happier. Josef has gotten many more services [for ASD], and that has been a huge help for our family.”

Jolene at the State College office says, “When Josef and Tomie first started with PA Cyber, they were shy and didn’t want to participate in many activities at the office. Fast forwarding to now, they attend several programs at our office and interact with other students and the staff regularly. Before the pandemic, our office staff loved when they would come to the office because they would make it a point to tell us jokes and about their latest adventures with gardening and their love for insects.”

Jenn is glad to see her kids socialize with peers at the regional office activities. She says, “I’ve got pictures of them laughing and joking around with kids at the office. There’s definitely a huge improvement. I cannot express how grateful I am, and how much we love PA Cyber.”

Founded in 2000, the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School is a statewide online school with nine regional offices serving as hubs for enrollment, orientation, and year-round social activities. As a public school, PA Cyber is open for enrollment to any school-age child residing in Pennsylvania and does not charge tuition. Learn more at pacyber.org.