News

Six-year-old Harley lives with her grandparents full-time while her parents figure out a stable place to live. Together, she and her grandparents color, make bead bracelets and play in the yard when the weather is nice. Harley’s grandmother Glenda says they love having Harley around, but raising – and feeding – a grandchild during retirement comes with challenges.

Living on their limited Social Security and retirement funds, Glenda and her husband can’t always keep up with the cost of groceries and rely on free school lunches to feed Harley during the week. It helps, but budgeting for groceries outside of school is still a challenge, especially now that the cost of an average meal is 12% higher than just three years ago. The price of groceries is a top reason food insecurity rates are the highest they’ve been in a decade, and Glenda’s family is feeling the strain.

“Me and my husband are on a set income,” Glenda shared. “I of course got Harley on free lunches when I got her started in school, because we can’t afford it [otherwise].”

Fortunately, Harley’s school participates in Ozarks Food Harvest’s Weekend Backpack Program, which sends kids home with nutritious, child-friendly meals and snacks every weekend of the school year. That means every Friday, Harley brings home a bag of food items like cereal, shelf-stable milk, fruit and vegetable cups, chicken salad and more to keep her fueled all weekend long.

“The program really, really helps little children,” said Glenda, “and it helps the grandparents that are trying to raise them. Without it, the child would be doing without some of the healthy food.”

Harley needs those healthy meals to stay creative and hone her affinity for reading and math – subjects that Glenda has noticed Harley excels at. As she grows, it’s crucial for Harley’s
physical, mental and emotional development that she gets the quantity and quality of nutrients she needs.

The weekly food bags help Harley’s grandparents, too. Knowing Harley has plenty of good food from the Weekend Backpack Program, Glenda and her husband can afford nourishing meals for themselves as well.

Schools and hunger-relief charities across our network report seeing many grandparents partially or entirely raising their grandchildren. While every family’s story is different, we do know that older adults in southwest Missouri who have grandkids in the home are twice as likely to experience food insecurity. By supporting the Weekend Backpack Program, our community is helping not only children, but selfless guardians like Glenda, too.

This September was Ozarks Food Harvest’s annual Hunger Action Month campaign. Every year, funds raised from Hunger Action Month events and community partnerships go directly to the Weekend Backpack Program. The Food Bank dedicates an entire month to this fundraiser because the Weekend Backpack Program is critical to student success in 59 schools across the Ozarks – and it’s completely funded by the generosity of our community.

Glenda and her husband have opened their home to Harley so that she has a safe, stable place to grow up. Thanks to everyone who supports the Weekend Backpack Program, Harley and her family can also feel safe knowing she has the nutritious meals she needs to grow, learn and follow her passions.

If you missed Hunger Action Month, you can still support the Weekend Backpack Program both financially and through volunteering. Learn how to get involved at ozarksfoodharvest.org/how-to-help.