The Children's Hunger Project will host the World's Largest Packing Event on February 8th on the FL Tech campus. Both individuals and teams are being recruited to help and Winn Dixie will have over 30 associates on hand unloading the pallets of food from the semis and organizing the distribution stations. The Children's Hunger Project provides hungry young people on the Space Coast with weekend backpacks with a goal of ensuring elementary school-age children do not have to experience hunger and malnutrition.
Join WFIT's team at packing event
Why We Are Needed
The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in over 100,000 public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions and provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches each school day. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Children from families with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals. Children from families with incomes over 185 percent of poverty pay a full price. For the period July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011, 130 percent of the poverty level is $28,665 for a family of four; 185 percent is $40,793.
In Brevard County the number of children in the free and reduced-price meal program exceeds 45%.
Some elementary schools have 80% or more of their kids on the free and reduced-price meal program with many of them at risk of childhood hunger and malnutrition.
When we talk about risk of childhood hunger we base it on the fact that the lunch program available in public schools around the country has been recognized by our government and various charities as the key indicator of hunger risk and poverty in a geographic area.
Childhood hunger leads to a weaker immune system, difficulty in learning, paying attention in class and behaving properly to retain what they learn. Hungry kids are sick more often and have lower academic achievement.
