Hunger isn’t always obvious. In children and teens, hunger disguises itself as behavioral issues, dropping grades and isolation. Perhaps no one knows this better than teachers and school staff, who are often the first to identify when students aren’t getting enough to eat at home. Crocker School Pantry coordinator and library aide Jackie Scholfield is all too familiar with the effects of child hunger.
The 25th annual Hungerthon was a success, raising $252,900, which will provide 703 children with nutritious meals and snacks every weekend of the school year!
Ozarks Food Harvest and iHeartRadio Springfield’s 25th annual Hungerthon wrapped up this afternoon, collecting $252,900 for The Food Bank’s Weekend Backpack Program. Community members and businesses came together for this four-day event to provide 703 kids facing hunger with nutritious meals every weekend of the school year.
Ozarks Food Harvest and iHeartRadio Springfield will kick off the 25th annual Hungerthon radio-thon Friday morning with the goal of raising $250,000 to sponsor 700 children for The Food Bank’s Weekend Backpack Program. This program provides more than 1,700 local children with six nutritious meals each weekend throughout the school year.
When the school bell rings on Friday afternoon, one in seven children in southwest Missouri are not looking forward to a break – they’re dreading a weekend without food. Through the Weekend Backpack Program, children can rest assured that they will have meals to last the weekend.
The weekend should be a time for children to play and relax, but unfortunately there are kids right here in the Ozarks who worry about whether or not they will have food to eat at home on Saturday and Sunday.
For children in the Ozarks who are hungry, every day brings a new struggle.
Concentrating in school, finishing homework in the evenings and even playing outside with friends is not easy or fun with an empty stomach. The only meals thousands of these children can count on are breakfast and lunch at school.
When classes are dismissed on Friday afternoon, the weekend can seem awfully long to a child who doesn’t know where his or her meals will come from.