Four out of 10 Elementary Children In Monongalia County Are At Risk Of Going Hungry
The state of WV’s Department of Health and Human Services considers children to be ‘at-risk’ if the family’s household income qualifies them for Free/Reduced Lunch. In Monongalia County, 41% of the children ages 5-11 receive Free/Reduced Lunch —2,300 children. Fourty-one percent of the children in our own backyard are at-risk for food insecurity, at-risk of going without adequate supplies of food.
In response to the number of children in need, Scott's Run Settlement House developed the Backpack Snack Program, which utilizes volunteers to pack bags of food for the eligible children of Mylan Park Elementary School to take home so that they are sure to have someting to eat over the weekend. Bags full of goodies are composed of easy-to-open, easy-to-prepare foods that will provide the children at least 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 small dinners, and a snack or two each weekend.
For a list of foods most needed by the program, please click here.
Currently, we serve 220 children each week, and that is only one elementary school. Our plans are to expand our summer program to include at least one more feeding site next summer and next school year begin providing backpack snack bags at Mason Dixon Elementary.
We cannot grow this program, we cannot serve these hungry children, without your support. Please take the time to spread the word, hold a food drive, or donate now to the Backpack Snack Program today!
Please be sure to make a note in either case that your gift is in support of the Backpack program!
Are you interested in learning more about food insecurity in Monongalia County?
Often times we find that people in Monongalia County are shocked to learn about the level of need here in Mon County. But aren't there great jobs here? Can't people take advantage of social programs to help them out? The reality is that the need in Monongalia County for the most basic of needs--food--isn't far behind that of the state of WV as a whole.
We will be working hard to do a better job in educating our community! Let's begin with these two great resources that start to tell the story in plain, easy to read statistics:
The Feeding America Map the Meal Gap Interactive Map You can look at the meal gap (hunger insecurity) for every county in the country or by state. You can look at data for the state compared to the county as well as for children versus the state overall. It is pretty compelling.
Scott's Run Settlement House
A place to turn to
Backpack Snack Program
See how you can change a child's life!
Four out of 10 Elementary Children In Monongalia County Are At Risk Of Going Hungry
The state of WV’s Department of Health and Human Services considers children to be ‘at-risk’ if the family’s household income qualifies them for Free/Reduced Lunch. In Monongalia County, 41% of the children ages 5-11 receive Free/Reduced Lunch —2,300 children. Fourty-one percent of the children in our own backyard are at-risk for food insecurity, at-risk of going without adequate supplies of food.
In response to the number of children in need, Scott's Run Settlement House developed the Backpack Snack Program, which utilizes volunteers to pack bags of food for the eligible children of Mylan Park Elementary School to take home so that they are sure to have someting to eat over the weekend. Bags full of goodies are composed of easy-to-open, easy-to-prepare foods that will provide the children at least 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 small dinners, and a snack or two each weekend.
For a list of foods most needed by the program, please click here.
Currently, we serve 220 children each week, and that is only one elementary school. Our plans are to expand our summer program to include at least one more feeding site next summer and next school year begin providing backpack snack bags at Mason Dixon Elementary.
We cannot grow this program, we cannot serve these hungry children, without your support. Please take the time to spread the word, hold a food drive, or donate now to the Backpack Snack Program today!
Donate Online Now
Or, mail your check, payable to SRSH to:
SRSH
PO Box 590
Pursglove, WV 26546
Please be sure to make a note in either case that your gift is in support of the Backpack program!
Are you interested in learning more about food insecurity in Monongalia County?
Often times we find that people in Monongalia County are shocked to learn about the level of need here in Mon County. But aren't there great jobs here? Can't people take advantage of social programs to help them out? The reality is that the need in Monongalia County for the most basic of needs--food--isn't far behind that of the state of WV as a whole.
We will be working hard to do a better job in educating our community! Let's begin with these two great resources that start to tell the story in plain, easy to read statistics:
The West Virginia Kids Count Data for Monongalia County
The Feeding America Map the Meal Gap Interactive Map You can look at the meal gap (hunger insecurity) for every county in the country or by state. You can look at data for the state compared to the county as well as for children versus the state overall. It is pretty compelling.