First Christian Helps Provide Students With Weekly Meals
When school closes its doors on Friday afternoon, many children go home to empty cupboards and empty bellies for 65 hours, until they return to school on Monday morning. As a result, these students often have difficulty focusing on being successful in the classroom. All they can think about is how hungry they are!
The Blessings in a Backpack Louisville Chapter closes this gap and provides food on the weekend to over 4,700 children in Jefferson County. Nationally, Blessings in a Backpack feeds over 87,300 children in nearly 1,092 schools in 45 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Childhood Hunger in the United States
More than 13 million children in the United States live in food insecure homes. —Feeding America
1 in 5 children doesn’t get the food they need every day. – No Kid Hungry
Nearly half of all people who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps) are kids. —No Kid Hungry
3 out of 4 teachers say they have children in their classrooms who regularly come to school hungry. —No Kid Hungry
Three prevalent consequences of hunger in schools: Inability to concentrate, poor academic performance, & headaches and stomach aches. —No Kid Hungry
With assistance from a 2018 First Christian Church of Louisville Wholeness Ministry Grant, 50 children at Portland Middle School in Louisville, KY were sent home with a bag of food that sustained them through the weekend, helping them return to school on Monday, focused and ready to learn.
A bag of food includes two entrees, such as macaroni and cheese or ravioli, two breakfasts, such as cereal and granola and two snacks, such as cheese on cheese crackers and fruit cups. Student survey results show that children fed by Blessings in a Backpack experience the following impact on their lives: 78% feel cared for by their community, 71% feel they are helping their family, 60% do not get in trouble as much and 59% find it is easier to learn at school.
The wholeness grant used to fund this ministry was made possible through your faithful financial support of our church and its ministries and help fund a variety of efforts to make our world a better place.