Newsroom
Food 4 Kids Program Feeds Hungry Students
Jan. 25, 2010
CUSTER COUNTY, OKLA – More than 21 percent of Custer County children are living in poverty. However, thanks to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma's Food 4 Kids program, nearly 100 Weatherford elementary school students will be able to receive healthy, kid-friendly meals over the weekends throughout the school year. Starting next month, the Food 4 Kids program kicks off at three schools in Weatherford: West Elementary, East Elementary, and Burcham Elementary.
Last school year, nearly 8,000 chronically hungry children in 263 elementary schools in 38 counties benefited from the program. This is the first year for the program in Custer County. Children identified by school personnel receive a backpack filled with nutritious, kid-friendly food to take home on weekends and holidays. Before receiving help from the program, many of the children had very little or nothing to eat between school lunch on Friday and school breakfast on Monday.
"I have a little boy in my room that told me sometimes he eats dinner and sometimes he doesn't," said one Food 4 Kids coordinator. "It depends on whether Mom gets paid or not. This is really unthinkable for me, but it is reality for so many of our children."
Numerous teachers and administrators have reported that students' school performance, attendance, and self-esteem have improved as a result of participating in the program. According to a recent survey of Food 4 Kids Coordinators:
- 96 percent saw fewer complaints about hunger by children who participated in Food 4 Kids.
- 93 percent witnessed children showing less hunger when they arrived at school on Monday mornings.
- 87 percent said they had seen children pay better attention in class once they joined the program.
- 85 percent observed an improvement in children's academic performance.
- 77 percent witnessed an improvement in children's school attendance.
"I encourage Custer County residents to donate to Food 4 Kids," said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. "The continued support of the community helps keep the program solidly in place and ensures chronically hungry children receive the food they need. A $200 donation supplies one child in Custer County with a backpack full of food every weekend for an entire school year."
To make a donation to Food 4 Kids, please contact Lisa Perry at lperry@regionalfoodbank.org or 405.604.7107. All funds raised in Weatherford will support the Food 4 Kids program in Weatherford.
