A Few Stats on Kids and Hunger:
69.1% of kids in Piscataquis County are eligible for free or reduced meals during the school year, according to a report called the Kids Count Data Center. That's a lot of kids whose families need a little help making sure there is enough food at home!
What this means for Summer:
Kids who are eligible during the school year for free or reduced breakfast and lunches, also need help in the summer. The Free Summer Meal Program helps fill in the gaps for kids across the country by providing summer lunches in neighborhoods, at libraries, at ballparks and in townhalls- anywhere that is easy to get to for kids and families.
"Story of Hungry"
It can be hard to imagine what childhood hunger looks like if you don't know the signs, aren't directly involved or if you're hungry yourself. The video below is helpful because it visually describes what it's like from a child's perspective when "hungry" comes to town...
One of the ways Piscataquis Regional Food Center helps keep "hungry" out of town is by supporting the Free Summer Meal Program in our county. Stay tuned for this year's summer meal sponsors and site locations and take a peek at last years info page on our website.
If you'd like to volunteer, we could always use help providing fun activities while kids eat, and/or help getting meals driven from the kitchen to the sites themselves.