California Department of Education’s Post

Did you know that one in five children in the U.S. experience food insecurity? For kids that rely on free or reduced-priced meals at school, summer can mean a lack of access to nutritious food. That’s why we’ve joined Albertsons Companies Foundation’s first-of-its-kind coalition of foodbanks, school districts, community organizations, and other partners across the country to help tackle hunger. Check if your household qualifies for $120 for groceries per eligible child through USDA’s new, permanent Summer EBT program at SummerEBT.org

Did you know that one in five children in the U.S. experience food insecurity? For kids that rely on free or reduced-priced meals at school, summer can mean a lack of access to nutritious food. That’s why we’ve joined Albertsons Companies Foundation’s first-of-its-kind coalition of food banks/food pantries, school districts, community organizations, and other partners across the country to help tackle hunger. Check if your household qualifies for $120 for groceries per eligible child through USDA’s new, permanent Summer EBT program at SummerEBT.org

Food Insecurity is a significant factor in student absenteeism For the first time in at least 50 years, a majority of U.S. public school students are from low-income families. 51% of students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade were eligible for the federal program that provides FREE and REDUCED-PRICE lunches. This lunch program is a rough proxy for poverty but the explosion of needy children in the nation’s classrooms is a recent phenomenon that has been gaining attention among educators, public officials, and social researchers. Even in wealthy Sarasota County, 52% of children were eligible for FREE LUNCHES-an an indicator of food insecurity at home meaning that they don’t have consistent access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food. Our Club in partnership with AAll Faiths Food Bank decided that we should help in alleviating this problem. In 2015 our Club/Foundation awarded AFFB a $60,000 five (5) year grant to place food pantries in all Title 1 schools in Sarasota County Schools We also committed to operating these pantries where needed. These school-based pantries are located on the school campus, making them a more readily accessible source of food assistance to families in need. They also try to be open at convenient school times so families can shop when arriving at school to pick up their children. So far, there are thirteen (13) school-based pantries in the program. Seven (7) of these are Title 1 schools. The top three (3) are Emma E Booker Elementary, Altavista Elementary School and Tuttle Elementary with Almost 95%, 92%, and 91% respectively of their students on FREE or REDUCED-PRICE lunches. The school district also provides FREE breakfasts to these schools. The Alta Vista Food Pantry was every other Thursday from 2:30pm-6pm excepting school breaks. We packed out food items for 60 families 2:30-3:30 and distribute from 3:30-6:00. During Holidays, we run Turkey Pantry, that operate like a regular Pantry, plus we would pack 125 Turkeys and Thanksgiving meal kits. #givingchallenge2024 #foodpantry #endinghunger #rotary #rotaryclubofsarasotafoundation #SarasotaCountySchools #allfaithsfoodbank #AltavistaSchool

https://lnkd.in/eS-7YMfp Shocking, cruel, unkind, and heartless. Who benefits, and why would anyone think this was okay or good for the country. It is likely a precursor of cruelty to come, why would this act of meanness be seen as a victory over the defenseless.... and most importantly our children.... Very unsettling and very sad... The program gives eligible families $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer months. SUN Bucks is a $2.5 billion effort to keep kids fed and eating healthy while they're out of school. The program targets low-income families who may struggle to put three healthy meals on the table each day. Tens of millions of children face increased hunger during the summer months without the certainty of free and reduced-price meals provided by schools. The Department of Agriculture estimated earlier this year that nearly 21 million children would benefit from SUN Bucks this summer.

Did you know that 117,120 (1 in 6) children are food insecure in the 26 counties served by the St. Louis Area Foodbank. That is equivalent to the total number of students in the following districts: St. Louis Public Schools, Rockwood, Wentzville, Francis Howell, Fort Zumwalt, Parkway, Edwardsville, and Collinsville, combined. Think about that - as we get ready to have our children, our future, out on summer vacation. We talk about food insecurity at the St. Louis Area Foodbank and think it's important to add some data to our discussions, thanks to Feeding America and their annual "Map the Meal Gap" study to shed light on the real needs of families across the bi-state region, and our country. We need to do better as a region - and we need your help. To be a part of the solution and become a hunger hero to a child in need, please visit: https://stlfoodbank.org https://lnkd.in/gb8ceUzJ

No child should go to school hungry. Did you know addressing food insecurity among families in need is significant to impact learning, especially during the back-to-school season? By learning how to use government, county, and community resources as well as budgeting, parents, grandparents, and extended families have a more viable ability to provide nutritious meals that ensure every child has access to proper nutrition for learning and growth. How would you help to solve hunger for children and families? #EndHunger #BacktoSchool #MainStreetMinistries

Someday, and I hope it’s soon, government officials will come to understand that the provision of food is the smallest investment with the biggest impact. Someday, I hope that government, healthcare, and insurance companies will understand that food resources should be the first line of defense for better education, mental health, and disease prevention. Someday, I hope that hunger is extinct. Until that day, I will continue to fight for food security.

There are very few things that we can agree on as a society. But one of them is that children should never go hungry. In Kentucky, 1 out of every 6 children lacks consistent access to enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle. Of the households served by Kentucky's food banks with school-aged children, nearly all (94 percent) receive free or reduced-price school lunch through the National School Lunch Program. Sadly, only 1 in 5 Kentucky children who eat free or reduced price lunch during the school year have access to such meals during the summer months when school is out. The Legal Food Frenzy helps our food banks fill the gap in access to food during these critical summer months, to ensure that no child goes hungry. You can help feed the kids! Each dollar you contribute will purchase roughly the equivalent of 4 pounds of food. If you are moved to join in the fight against hunger (and God bless you if you are), you can do so here: https://lnkd.in/eNiEPGHj

Food insecurity impacts 13 million children across the nation. With the cost of food on the rise and kids out of school, more families are relying on local food pantries and programs like SUN Bucks, the newest federal food assistance program. Yet, governors in 12 states—including 4 of the 6 states with the highest rates of food insecurity—have opted out of this crucial summer food benefits program, leaving 9.5 million students without access to this critical aid. Programs designed to alleviate poverty and hunger are commonsense solutions to ensure every child and family has the support they need. Read more in USA TODAY: https://lnkd.in/eJTYfqPK

Inflation has had a huge impact on families living paycheck to paycheck, leading many to turn to food pantries for help — often for the first time. As Axios #RVA, food insecurity is on the rise statewide, including here in Central Virginia. In fact, we’ve seen a 22% increase in demand at our food pantries over the past two years, and are back to pandemic-level requests for food assistance. This means there are more neighbors who have never had to ask for help, while those neighbors we already help continue to face difficult challenges. But that's why we’re here: to help nourish our neighbors in their times of need. We’re proud to serve 34 cities and counties in Central Virginia through our Agency Network and crucial hunger-fighting programs tailored to serve children, families living in food desert areas, homebound seniors and everyone in between. https://lnkd.in/guaCumcj