Christian Peterson, Reporter@riverbendnews.org
On Thursday, May 15, No Kid Hungry and the Hamilton County School District (HCSD) joined forces to help care for the less fortunate in their student population. The event was supported by No Kid Hungry, a national organization partnered with Citibank that is fully focused on ending child hunger in the United States. Hamilton County has the highest rate of food insecurity in the state of Florida at 34 percent.
“This summer might be the hungriest one yet for many kids, as so many families continue to struggle with the economic impact of the pandemic alongside the rising cost of food and fuel. It can be especially tough for those in rural areas as its often more difficult to reach a summer meal site,” said Sky Beard, Director of No Kid Hungry Florida. “We’re proud to partner with the Hamilton County School District to ensure families start the summer with nutritious food in the fridge and pantry and that meals can be made accessible to families throughout the summer months.”
No Kid Hungry Florida offers one million dollars worth of grants to many different organizations across Florida. HCSD was awarded $90,000 to grow their weekend backpack meal program, as well as support their local farmers and vendors to receive the best natural and healthy products for the kids. On HCSD's side, Ida Daniels runs the show. Daniels has been working with the school district for over 30 years, 25 of which were in the food service. Every year, she has sacrificed time and labor to serve the children in her school district by helping organize, purchase and pack food for hungry kids.
“Nearly 100 percent of our students qualify for free or reduced school breakfasts and parents are already calling us to see if we are going to be able to deliver meals like last summer,” said Daniels. “For these students and their families, meal programs make an enormous difference in their day-to-day lives, especially over the summer.”
Although she plans on retiring this year, Daniels is already working on passing the mantle of her work over to Patrick Howell, who is excited to take over the process and to serve the children. “Everything we serve is serving love on a plate,” Howell said during the event. Howell hopes to see the food bank program grow even more under his direction and for no one to go hungry. The pair were joined by many other staff members from HCSD, including Superintendent Dorothy Lee Wetherington-Zamora and Assistant Superintendent Philip Pinello. They were also joined by students with a heart for serving, Tyanna White and Kei’Lashia Jones. In total, over 25 volunteers showed up for the packing of the food bags. The event was filled with music, dancing and joy from those helping feed the community.
The group worked for a few hours, packing hot and cold insulated bags with a plethora of items inside for the kids. Inside the bags were canned veggies, snacks, pudding, pop-tarts, crackers, bread, peanut butter, ravioli, rice, honey buns and cereal. This event happens every third Monday of the month during the school year. In total, the group packed 145 bags for the students and had a great time doing it.