Thanks to many volunteers, businesses, faith organizations and supporters just like you, we now serve 2,200 children in 46 schools!
It’s a tremendous achievement, yet
there is still a wait list
and
teachers have the heartbreaking job of deciding which children will get weekend food packages
.
Dallas is, for the most part, a typical elementary school student. He is in fifth grade, he is smart, bright-eyed and loves playing with friends.
Unfortunately, due to no fault of his own, his parents are not in the picture. Dallas is being raised by his grandmother who is on a fixed income. The sad truth is that
1 out of 10 children in Brevard County are being raised by grandparents
.
Dallas worries about how much money is left on his grandmother’s EBT card (food stamps) at the end of each food shopping trip. At age 10, this little boy is concerned about having enough food to eat rather than concentrating on school, or playing with his friends.
Dallas is eligible for the free breakfast and lunch at school. Oftentimes the lunch he eats on Friday afternoon is his
last substantial meal until returning to school on Monday morning
–
that’s 68 hours without consistent nutrition
. And Dallas is not alone…
57% of Brevard County students are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program at school. This statistic is an important key indicator of hunger and poverty in a geographic area.
If Dallas comes to school hungry, he will be more prone to
attention issues and behavioral outbursts - simply due to hunger
.
Research shows that he will also test
17% lower in math skills, be sick more often, and take longer to recover
because of inadequate nutrition. Please join us in helping ensure that Brevard’s children receive adequate weekend nutrition.
