In a perfect world, every student would arrive at school knowing their basic needs were already met: food, hygiene, clean clothes, and a safe place to rest. But for many teens in our district, the world isn’t that simple. That’s why the teen centers established by Weber School Foundation exist. For some students, they serve as essential lifelines providing dignity, stability, and hope.
The Hidden Struggles Many Students Carry
Teens facing homelessness, food insecurity, and unstable home environments deal with challenges far beyond schoolwork. These stressors impact their confidence, their ability to focus, and their overall well-being. The teen centers help close those gaps by offering students a stable place to meet their most basic needs so they can focus on their education, not survival.
Essential Services Provided to Students
Each Weber School District teen center is designed with purpose and compassion:
Food pantry & hygiene items
Showers and laundry facilities
Kitchen + shared hangout spaces
Study areas and calming rooms for quiet time
On-site advocates who build relationships and connect students to additional resources
These spaces don’t just support physical needs, they create a sense of belonging. A sense of I’m safe here. I’m welcome here.
Reaching Every High School in the District
With teen centers now located across every high school in the district (Two Rivers, Bonneville High, Roy High, Fremont High, Weber High, and West Field High) the vision has become a full-scale reality. From the first opening to the most recent, each teen center reflects the district’s belief that no student should have to navigate hardship alone.
And truly — these teen centers wouldn’t exist without one crucial element: community support.
Sustaining the Mission Through Community Partnership
While Weber School Foundation leads the charge in establishing these teen centers, the community has become the engine that keeps them thriving. Businesses, nonprofits, civic groups, and individuals rally behind the mission, donating funds, food, hygiene supplies, clothing, and volunteer time.
One shining example is Nothing Bundt Cakes. On the opening day of their Pleasant View and Riverdale locations, they dedicated 20% of all sales to support the Weber High School and Roy High School Teen Centers. Their generosity sent a powerful message to students: Your community cares about you.
And they’re not alone. Across the district, partners step in to:
Host fundraisers
Donate food and essential supplies
Offer sponsorships
Provide labor, services, or in-kind support
Volunteer time to maintain the centers
These partnerships transform the teen centers from “programs” into community-supported spaces that students can depend on day after day. When a business invests in a teen center, they’re investing in a teen’s sense of stability, confidence, and future. That impact lasts long after the ribbon-cutting.
The Quiet, Life-Changing Impact of a Safe Space
Students who use the teen centers often describe them as safe, calm, and welcoming. A place to take a breath. A place to reset. A place where they don’t have to feel embarrassed about needing help.
By lowering the barriers caused by unstable home environments, the teen centers help students stay in school, complete assignments, and move toward graduation with the confidence that someone is in their corner.
How You Can Support
The teen centers remain strong through ongoing community involvement. Anyone can help by:
Donating food, hygiene items, or clothing
Contributing financially
Volunteering
Spreading awareness
Sometimes the smallest act — one grocery bag, one volunteer hour, one shared post — becomes the moment that changes a student’s week.
The Power of a Community That Cares
The Weber School Foundation’s teen centers show what’s possible when a community decides that every student deserves support, stability, and a chance to thrive. Every shower, every warm meal, every quiet study space is made possible because people choose to care.