HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas Food Bank is honored to announce receipt of a grant from the Fund for Hutchinson Wellness Grants Fund of the Hutchinson Community Foundation.
The Food 4 Kids program provides kid-friendly, nutritious weekend food packets for children who experience chronic hunger. The program provides food packets for nine elementary schools in Hutchinson and seven additional schools throughout Reno County. The packets are discreetly distributed to the children in need every Friday. By eliminating hunger over the weekend, the children come to school Monday morning ready to learn. The packets are available at no charge to the families or the school district.
Because of the pandemic, organizers are able to adapt packet distributions. Whether children are in the classroom, learning remotely at home or a hybrid of the two, they will receive food packets regardless of where they are learning.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as households that are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet basic needs of all their members because of insufficient money or other resources. When the parent or guardian of a child has to choose between food and other necessities, e.g., having electricity shut off because they don’t have enough money, it is an indicator of food insecurity.
Weekend food insecurity is the reason for the Food 4 Kids program. Any child who exhibits these behaviors is considered a candidate for receiving a Food 4 Kids packet.
The Kansas Food Bank is grateful for the partnership with the Hutchinson Community Foundation to feed children in need.