by PegNews wire

The organization is also calling for donations to help keep up with the rising demand from food pantries and other agencies during the recession.

Summer is here, but not every child has been looking forward to this time of year. Once school is out, many kids who depend on free or reduced-price meal programs may be left wondering what they will eat. The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is working to meet this important need with the launch of new summer children’s programs that will provide thousands of nutritious meals during the next three months. The organization is also calling for donations to help keep up with the rising demand from food pantries and other agencies during the recession, forcing it to cut back on new food purchases.

The NTFB has developed the new and ramped-up children’s meal programs in response to increasing community need and to help families during these tough economic times. Among the new programs announced today at an event at Voice of Hope Ministries, one of the 900+ programs that receives food through the NTFB:

* Summer Lunch Box – A new pilot program reaching kids through various neighborhood locales (cold lunches delivered 5 days a week to distribution sites in underserved areas)

* Food 4 Kids – First time summer extension of popular school-year backpack snack program consisting of daily (weekend snacks distributed through summer school)

* Kids Cafe – Significantly expanded hot meal distribution through summer community programs such as YMCAs and organizations such as Voice of Hope Ministries

The necessity of the new programs is all too real here in North Texas. New government data ranks Texas as the highest state for childhood food insecurity, with one in five Texas children struggling with hunger, even before the recession began. Meanwhile, NTFB food distribution to Member Agencies is already up 14 percent for the year.

While the children’s meal programs were made possible by a generous donation, the NTFB is still struggling to meet the day-to-day needs of its Member Agencies during the recession. The organization is working to raise a minimum of $400,000 in June to keep up with current demand.

As part of its summer fundraising efforts, the NTFB has launched an aggressive campaign to help raise both awareness and much-needed dollars. Even a small donation makes a difference, as a dollar will provide four meals for the hungry. The campaign features billboard, radio and online PSAs with the touching stories of today’s hungry.

“While we typically receive 47 percent of our annual donations during the winter holiday season, the recession has made the need for year-round giving all the more urgent. We hope the summer campaign will bring the issue of hunger and our important mission to the forefront for the community, says Pruitt.

Supporters can learn more about the new children’s meal programs, the summer awareness campaign, or make donations of funds or bulk food by visiting ntfb.org.

Source: North Texas Food Bank

What do you think?