An organization dedicated to ending child hunger thanks their partners and announces a new program for the area.
Representatives for the Children's Hunger Alliance spoke at the Veterans Memorial Civic Center about what they have been working on in the fight against food insecurity, and what they will be doing going forward. The Children's Hunger Alliance took time to thank their partners such as Soldiers of Honor, who run an afterschool and summer youth boxing program, and help them distribute food to children in need. Though they help countless families every year, recently both families in need and the organizations that support them are finding themselves going through more financial strain.
"I mean there's more people that need our help than ever before, but also the cost of the meals are going up and our reimbursement from the federal government to help pay for those meals hasn't necessarily followed suit," commented Judy Mobley, president and CEO of Children's Hunger Alliance.
"We noticed during the COVID season, and that's actually when most of this started, there were a lot of kids coming through the area wanting and needing food because they weren't in school getting their lunches. And so we were able to be a one-stop shop, they were able to get their physical fitness, some mentoring, and the ability to get a healthy snack," said Veronica McLaurine, administrator for Soldiers of Honor.
Children's Hunger Alliance also announced that through the support of Mercy Health-St. Rita's, they have been able to expand their adopt-a-school program, which provides meals for students on weekends, from six to seven schools. The group stressed that any financial contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference to their mission. Information on their programs or how to donate can be found on their website at https://childrenshungeralliance.org/.
