This was the subject line of an email that came into my in-box this morning. Along with it came the caption, "Very soon, school aged children will be the forgotten face of hunger." That was enough to get my attention. Reading further I learned that many school-aged children who would normally receive food through the school won't know where their next breakfast or lunch will come from; many could very well go without meals over the summer. In fact, the number is more like 7 out of 10 of these children will not have access to the food they would normally receive in school. That is a HUGE number. So what's the answer?
Thankfully, the folks at Harvest Food & Outreach Center are on the job. Their solution is to combine the children's hunger needs with literacy with their Children's Read & Feed Program. Children's Read & Feed is a holistic program to keep children fed and academically stimulated throughout the summer. HFOC will be offering a backpack complete with meals not only for the children, but also a little extra for their families as well. Included will be some age appropriate books that they can take home. Through HFOC's Read & Feed Program, these children can look forward to a meal and an educational boost! Without this program, the children have little hope. For this program to succeed, HFOC needs the support of our community and YOU can help.
If you want to get involved one of the most helpful things you can to do is coordinate food drives in your school, church, sorority, HOA and beyond and have the food collected donated back out to these children and their families. Items to collect include:
- Peanut Butter
- Crackers
- Raisins/dried fruit
- Granola bars
- Cereal
- Rice
- Canned/Jarred Fruit
- Canned Vegetables
- Jellies
- Soups/canned meats
- Shelf stable milk
- Shelf stable juice
Harvest Food & Outreach Center is also in need of volunteers who can help as pantry workers, educators or assistants, mentors, nutritionists, and nurses in our children's workshops. All you need is a desire to see these children have an opportunity for a brighter future.
Can our children count on you? Let them know they can. Contact the folks at Harvest Food & Outreach Center today and show them how we get things done in Saint Lucie County!
