MFB helping children struggling with food insecurity
Most people look forward to the weekend. Unless you are a child that doesn't know if there is another meal until returning to school on Monday.
In the U.S., one in seven children is food insecure. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as "the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle."
Chances are, one of those children lives not that far from any of us. The Map the Meal Gap study shows that 14.6% of children nationally are food insecure. The study breaks down the statistics by state and county so you can view what is happening in your neighborhood.
Knowing about hungry children is one thing but doing something is another. At Midwest Food Bank, we don't believe the words "hungry" and "children" should never go together. So we created something called Hope Packs.
Hope Packs go home with children on Friday when they leave school. The packs contain five items - a warm meal like macaroni and cheese or ravioli, a breakfast meal, fruit, a granola bar, and a snack. It helps bridge the weekend until a child can return to school on Monday knowing they will receive breakfast and/or lunch.
It takes money, volunteers, and planning to make it happen. For $50 one child receives a Hope Pack every Friday during the school year. Faithful volunteers from churches and community groups help pack and then deliver Hope Packs to schools. Then, dedicated school leaders make sure the Hope Packs are given to children on Friday afternoons.
At Midwest Food Bank we gather the food for Hope Packs. Sometimes items are purchased so Hope Packs are consistent and healthy.
Please check out our Back to School page. You can help MFB gear up for the 2022-2023 school year.
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