No child should grow up hungry in America. But in Escambia County, 1 in 4 children struggle with hunger. Child Hunger Relief is a backpack program working to end childhood hunger in our community by connecting kids with the nutritious food they need. The number of hungry kids in our area is growing. Last year, in Escambia County alone,15,780 children didn't have enough to eat on a recurring basis.
Often, children who receive free or reduced lunch at school, do not have access to enough food when school is not in session. This lack of adequate nutrition can "permanently alter a child's brain architecture and stunt their intellectual capacity, affecting the child's learning, social interaction, and scholastic productivity. Children who do not receive what they need for strong, healthy brain development during early childhood may never recover their lost potential for cognitive growth and eventual contributions to society." National Scientific Council on the Developing Child
Child Hunger Relief provides nutritious food to chronically hungry school age children while school is not in session. Often, children who receive free or reduced school lunches, do not have access to food during the times that school is not in session. By providing these at risk kids with something to eat during this time, children can concentrate on their studies, rather on the pain in their bellies. Teachers have noted a marked difference in the decrease of behavior problems with the students in the program. They have also seen that attendance rates and test scores have increased with the students participating in Child Hunger Relief's backpack program. On Friday, children in the program pick up a backpack full of food for the children that live in their household. On Monday, they return the backpacks and Child Hunger Relief fills them again for Friday distribution. The cost of feeding a child is $2/ day. This means that for the price of a Starbucks coffee, a child can have food to eat over the weekend.
