Editor’s note: Last week, we issued a comment challenge to raise money to help the victims of the Haitian earthquake. But there are plenty of people in need in our own backyard. The first in an occasional series about what we can do to help Champaign County families.
One in seven kids in our area is hungry, the Eastern Illinois Foodbank says.
by Rachael McMillan
An 8-year-old boy and his mother came to pick up food from a mobile pantry recently. Among other items, they were given a sack of potatoes. Famished, the boy opened it, took one out, and took a big bite of the raw, unwashed potato.
This is a true story which took place in our area.
What can we do to help? Surprisingly, a lot. Read my interview with Cheryl Middaugh, the director of marketing and development for Eastern Illinois Foodbank, to find out how a little bit of help from you and your family can go a long, long way.
A statistic on your website reads that one out of seven kids struggle with hunger. What can you add to this?
Kids have always been disproportionately affected by hunger. The average family that visits a food pantry has three members — a single parent and two children. Some schools right here in Champaign-Urbana have rates of participation in the federal free/reduced lunch program nearing 75%.
What is the Foodbank’s biggest need right now?
Funds. Costs of food are continuing to rise, and need is still increasing. We leverage financial contributions extremely far. In fact, for every $1 given to the foodbank, we can acquire approximately $10 worth of food–or enough for 3.7 meals.
Now that the holidays are over, how are clients affected?
Families struggling with hunger often find that the holidays are not the time of greatest want. In fact, it’s summertime that most severely strains working families, because (school-age) kids who rely on free and reduced lunches during the week are suddenly home needing meals or are in day care, adding considerable additional expense to the family budget.
Can families volunteer at the Foodbank?
We have monthly opportunities for individuals and families to volunteer in our warehouse repackaging food. We encourage families to help, but for safety reasons, we discourage bringing children under 10 years old, and we also ask that children between the ages of 10 and 13 be accompanied by an adult in a one-to-one ratio.
We also encourage families to get involved by holding a food drive or fundraiser for the Foodbank. We have lots of tips and helpful hints to get started, and we’re always happy to help with promotion.
Are there any thoughts you’d like to add?
The face of hunger is rapidly changing. Kids and families in our own neighborhoods, our own schools, and our own faith communities are experiencing hunger–many for the first time in their lives. But kids and families also have the opportunity to make a huge impact simply by spreading the word, running a drive, volunteering, or making a gift. The more we openly talk about hunger in our community, the more people we’ll mobilize to make it history!
If you are interested in volunteering, contact volunteer@eifoodbank.org.
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