Because of you, more children will start the school day ready to learn, without the pang of hunger as a distraction. Our Back-to-School campaign reminds us that along with pencils and paper, children need a daily supply of food to take on new concepts, run on playgrounds, and make new friends. The donations made by hundreds of compassionate Food Shuttle friends helped us meet and exceed Chiesi USA’s generous challenge match, raising nearly $72,000 to fight hunger now. The need to address hunger is persistent and growing. Gifts from supporters allow us to purchase prepared bags of food to distribute through the BackPack Buddies program, that meet nutritional standards established by the Feeding America Nutritional Council. Funding also supports overall efforts to FEED, TEACH, and GROW.
This year, our media partner for Back to School was WRAL, a passionate friend to children, education, and community well-being. We want to thank this team of compassionate storytellers for their coverage that allowed more people to learn about our fight to erase hunger.
Nearly 1 in 5 children experience hunger as part of their everyday lives. When a child’s stomach aches from hunger, it is a silent struggle that shows in other ways, like being distracted in class worrying about how your family will eat. That’s why our partnerships with 71 schools across our service area are so important, helping us distribute almost 66,000 bags of food through BackPack Buddies in the last fiscal year. School pantries served almost 13,500 families last year in our seven-county service area!
Our Child Hunger Programs also offer health education, smarter ways to shop, and healthier food preparation. These related efforts go beyond the need for food on the plate and bolster the quality of life.
Our Back-to-School campaign results speak to the compassion and generosity of our community. Thanks to your support, more neighbors can access fresh, nutritious food. Children can focus on learning and making new friends as they return to school, and their families will not have to make an impossible choice between buying groceries and paying for other necessities like rent or medicine.
SHOUT OUT TO MATCH PARTNER CHIESI USA!
