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 socialize more successfully.
Our Community Health and Agriculture Education teams have collaborated to develop the new Food Shuttle Academy, an online learning platform with free, self-paced lessons on health, nutrition, agriculture, and more!
Our Spring Match challenge, made possible by generous funders, including SOLV Energy and the Mead Family Foundation, exceeded the $105,000 goal, raising an additional $70,000 to erase hunger!
Love, Tito’s has a heart for community gardens and increasing access to fresh, healthy foods. Their philanthropic Love, Tito’s Block to Block program, reconnects neighborhoods and creates community gardens and farms throughout the United States. Our hearts are in full bloom knowing that our Camden Street Garden will be the next beneficiary of Block to Block, allowing neighbors with mobility challenges to access our many activities more easily.
Feeding the Carolinas announced a Virtual Food Drive hosted by Sentinel Risk Advisors LLC to support a network of local food banks across the company’s North Carolina and South Carolina footprint, including Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Sentinel’s month-long campaign will provide vital hunger relief for individuals and families affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Families helping Families. Kids helping kids. A community united by the belief that all children should come to school nourished and ready to learn. That is the heart of BackPack Buddies. [box type="note" size="medium" border="full"]EVENT INFO: August 20th #BackPackBuddies Drive with MIX 101.5[/box]
We are constantly inspired by the generosity of our community during our annual BackPack Buddies Drive with MIX 101.5 WRAL-FM. This year we hope YOU will join us Wednesday, August 20th as we change the lives of hungry children, one backpack at a time. Just read this testimonial from a BackPack Buddies Coordinator at one of our elementary schools:
"It just so happened a child mentioned to her teacher that she was hungry because she and her brother and her mother had to share one apple for breakfast that morning. They were hungry – they were out of food. And the next day I delivered a backpack of food to her classroom, and the teacher said that child lit up like a Christmas tree, she was so excited to see that food. That tells you that you’re making a difference right there.”
Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and MIX 101.5 will be accepting food and/or monetary donations from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. On-air talent from MIX 101.5 will also be on-site and happy to meet you!
The statistics for North Carolina are too high: 1-in-4 children is at risk for hunger. Here in our own backyard, the numbers are even more heart-wrenching. In the 7 counties IFFS services, nearly 116,000 low-income children (43%!) receive free and reduced-price lunch at school. But on weekends, bare cupboards and rumbling bellies are a reality for many of these children.
That's where Inter-Faith Food Shuttle's BackPack Buddies program steps in. BackPack Buddies provides children from food-insecure homes with 6 balanced meals and 2 healthy snacks at the end of every week. The child recipients - who are selected by school principals, guidance counselors, and supervisors of various after school programs - bring their food home discreetly each Friday in a backpack. And this backpack food completely changes what a weekend means for them and their families. Said one parent of a BackPack Buddies child recipient:
"The food bags have made a difference to my family by providing not only snacks that the children can open by themselves by also food that we can cook as a family."
BUT WE CANNOT DO IT ALONE!!
The school year is upon us, and we need YOUR help more than ever before. During the 2013-2014 school year, 1,850 children were served 68,450 BackPacks at 55 sites in 7 counties. And the need is growing.
If you are not in a position to give but would still like to make a difference, we encourage kind hearts of all ages to start your own fundraiser or hold a food drive of your own! You are never too young to help those in need, just ask William (aka “The Food Drive Kid”), the Riehs kids, Elle, or Campbell & Joe Thomas.
In addition, your corporation, church, or civic group can become a sponsor or partner for BackPack Buddies! In addition to providing funds & food, experience the rewarding feeling of packing & delivering the BackPacks to children at one of the schools we serve.
Click here to learn about Inter-Faith Food Shuttle programs targeting Children's Hunger, including mobile meals, school pantries, and kids cafes.
By Lindsay Humbert, IFFS Digital Media Specialist. Contact: Lindsay@foodshuttle.org
