Help Feed Families Like Nelson’s This Summer

6 月 2, 2022 | , , , ,

Summer break from school can last up to 90 days. For many children, this means fun and relaxation. But for kids who count on school meal programs to stay healthy, summer vacation could mean three months of worry and hunger.

At the North Texas Food Bank, we know summer is one of the hungriest times of the year, and this year brings additional challenges for families as they experience rising food and fuel prices. For kids who rely on free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch at schools, this means families are now faced with how to afford 10 extra meals per child per week during the summer months.

Through our feeding network of more than 400 food pantries and community organizations and our 儿童项目, the Food Bank is working to get meals to the more than 300,000 children in our region – 1 in 5 – who experience hunger throughout the school year and the summer months.

Father and son in front of car holding bag of potatoes and milk carton.
Nelson and his son at a School Pantry distribution.

This includes families like Nelson’s. With two young children and a wife, Nelson works hard to provide meals for the family. But with food costs continuing to rise, affording healthy food and living expenses became difficult. Nelson needed help to ensure his family had enough to eat. Fortunately, his mother-in-law suggested visiting a food pantry at his children’s school, part of NTFB’s School Pantry Program.

“It means a lot to see that the school cares about their students – and their families as well.” Nelson said. “The pasta, the vegetables that we get, just a little bit of everything. We enjoy all the food. It helps a lot, especially in the pocketbook.”

The Food 4 Kids backpack program and School Pantry programs that were once limited to the school year can now be implemented year-round to address summer hunger needs. There are also several ways the community can help us fight hunger this summer:

  • Donate to the NTFB Summer Million+ Meals Match. You can help provide access to 2.5 million meals for North Texans facing hunger through our Million+ Meals Match. Give now and our friends at the David M. Crowley Foundation will triple your gift – up to $425,000 – meaning $1 will provide 9 nutritious meals. Your chance to provide triple the meals ends June 30! Donate here: ntfb.org/夏天.
  • 为事业买单.食品银行感谢社区合作伙伴和零售商将部分销售额捐赠给饥饿救济。这些社区筹款活动是一种简单而有效的回馈方式。您可以在我们的网站上找到最新的活动 网站在这里.
  • 开始你自己的筹款活动。 很容易启动你自己的 网上筹款活动 直接从我们的网站。或者，您（或您的孩子）今年夏天将举办柠檬水摊或邻里生意，并且您想将服务整合到您的企业中。我们喜欢从您的创造性努力中获得捐赠，并且 $1 提供 3 餐，一点点有很长的路要走！
  • 志愿者. Finally, if you want to be on the frontlines fighting hunger, we invite you to explore the various volunteer opportunities with the Food Bank. You can learn more about ways to get involved here: https://ntfb.org/volunteer/

You can read more about families like Nelson’s and the increased summer hunger needs in the latest edition of our quarterly newsletter, 围桌.

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