Food insecurity and hunger
To provide weekend nutrition to children who are enrolled in the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Plan at school.
Did you know that food insecurity affects 1 in 6 people and nearly 1 in 4 children?
According to a 2019 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13.7 million US households were food insecure at some point during 2019.
Meanwhile, 4.1% of US households experienced very low food security during the same year, meaning that the “normal eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake was reduced at times during the year because they had insufficient money or other resources for food.”
While many people believe the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, the reality is much different. Hunger affects all socioeconomic statuses. Today, 1 in 6 Americans don’t have access to enough food. Hunger has NO boundaries.
For children, the lack of nutrition is particularly impactful, as it affects cognitive and behavioral development, as well as physical growth.
Our Feed the Backpacks program provides weekend nutrition to children who are enrolled in the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Plan at school. Our four-serving, nutritionally-balanced, great-tasting, stand-alone meals provide the vitamins and nutrients necessary for a child to return to school ready to learn.
We rely on collaborative partnerships to help distribute the food where and when needed. The cost of the meal packs is only $1.20, or $0.30 per serving. If you want to help feed hungry children, families and seniors in need in your community, click the “donate now” button below!
Decreased literacy in populations of at-risk school-aged children.
A program that focuses on emergent literacy skills by delivering free books to preschool children each month.
Did you know that 90% of a child’s critical brain development occurs by age 5?
Children who receive high-quality education by age five are 70% more likely to graduate from high school. Unfortunately, not all children get the opportunity to learn, and lack of reading skills can impact learning and future success.
To end childhood illiteracy, Hunger Fight works with daycares to further our Feed the Need to Read program. In addition to hunger, literacy is frequently discussed as one of the biggest problems facing children, particularly those living in poverty.
Literacy skills begin at birth and build on relationships and experiences that occur during infancy and early childhood. Emergent literacy has the biggest impact on the academic success of a child, is the root of reading success, and forms the basis for learning in all subjects.
The Feed the Need to Read literacy program focuses on helping children develop their emergent literacy skills by providing age-appropriate books to children in need. This program serves children across Florida and South Georgia.
For only $30, you can ensure one local child receives a brand new, age-appropriate book every month for a whole year! These books are selected by a committee of early childhood experts. Your donation will help us reach more children, providing books to children in need and changing children’s attitudes towards reading and early literacy skills. To help provide books to children in your community, click the “donate now” button below!