Several years ago on a Monday morning, Jennifer Moore took pizza, juice and cupcakes to Terwilliger Elementary School to celebrate her daughter’s birthday with her third grade class. She noticed that as most kids were still finishing their first slices of pizza, a few were already asking for seconds and thirds. When Jennifer asked the teacher about these children, she learned that the reason they
were so hungry was because it was a Monday, and there was a very good chance that the last full meal they had eaten had been at lunch on Friday. After looking into the matter further, she learned that one out of four children in North Florida live in food-unstable homes – meaning that they don’t have reliable access to food and other resources, especially on the weekends. That is when she decided to start the Food4Kids Backpack Program to provide these kids with basic nutrition when they need it most. With the help of Todd Morrone, the Gainesville Television Network and a number of individuals throughout the community, the program took off in March of 2010 and has been helping to feed these students every weekend since. After looking into the matter further, she learned that one out of four children in North Florida live in food unstable homes – meaning that they don’t have reliable access to food and other resources, especially on the weekends.
