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Bridget Clark Whitney, Kids' Food Basket Executive Director
Every time a child gets a sack supper, we hear "thank you." That is
because elementary school children in Kent County are grateful. They are
also smart: They realize that behind each sack supper, there is a face--a
volunteer or a donor who cares enough to make this opportunity possible.
By eating the meals, or "sack suppers", they thank the thousands of
volunteers, donors and friends who enable KFB to grow along with the
growing need.
These free evening meals are vital to the success of our community. Food
insecure children are more susceptible to illness and obesity and are more
likely to face growth and development problems. As you know, money is
tight in Michigan. Families are stretching their dollars further. In some
cases, meals are skipped. These sacrifices can threaten the futures of our
community's young and vulnerable children.
Kids' Food Basket fills this need by providing free meals to over 2,080
children in 19 schools across Grand Rapids. We have begun our seventh
school year of providing sack suppers for food-insecure children in Kent
County. We know from the last census (2005-2007) that 18,471 children
(ages 6-11) were living in poverty in Kent County. In all likelihood, that
number has increased due to the downturn in the economy, particularly in
Michigan, over the past two years. In tough economic times, families often
turn to the community for help. If you are a food insecure child, you rely
on a parent to fill that need. KFB is unique in that it works in tandem with
school staff to assess a child's need and to ensure that those children who
might otherwise not have a meal at night are nourished.
Through our work, which is only possible because of the generosity of the
community, KFB served 341,642 sack supper meals during the 2008/2009
school year. That number is rapidly growing. We've also made
improvements to our services. Our sack supper meals are now healthier
than ever. We've become very aware in the past year of the increased
importance of including healthy food. Lunches now include such items as
apples, bananas, berries, snap peas, grape tomatoes, and carrots. The
sack suppers we provide children every school day represent at least
one-third of their nutritional intake. The Produce for Better Health
Foundation reports that most kids need to more than double their current
intake of fruits and vegetables. Kids' Food Basket has become an
important source of these fruits and vegetables, including a fresh fruit,
fresh vegetable, and 100% fruit juice drink box with a sandwich and
healthy snack in every sack supper.
This organization is in need of hats, scarves
and mittens. By donating these items, we can
help keep them warm. Below is an explanation
of what Kid's Food Basket is all about.
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