A FULL SUMMER
Have you noticed all the PSAs about international hunger? We are reminded everyday how hunger is threatening the lives of children in faraway nations. However, most people don’t realize that we have an epidemic of hunger right here in Tallahassee.
It is called food insecurity, which is a metric tracked by the US Department of Agriculture to pinpoint how many households struggle during the year to provide food for their families. For many families, they must choose between paying the electric bill or buying groceries. The prevalence of poverty causes hunger, not food scarcity. Stable food access is often blocked because low-income families struggle to balance food and basic necessities.
Children are the most vulnerable to poverty. In America, more than 22 million children receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. In a recent national survey, 62% of teachers say children in the classrooms are coming to school hungry. When schools close, about 18 million kids lose access to free meals in the summer. This is why A Full Summer is so important to Tallahassee and why we need you to volunteer.
A Full Summer is a community event to help feed local kids during the summer months. One in four children in the Big Bend Area are food insecure. A Full Summer serves to bridge the gap for these children and their families. Volunteering can make a difference in a child’s life by ensuring that he or she has nutritious meals for the summer.
We are looking for volunteers to help assemble a nutritionist-approved meal of rice, beans, vitamins, and vegetables for hungry children in the Tallahassee area. Each team assembly-line sacks, bags, weighs, seals, and boxes the food while dancing to music and getting to know one another. A Full Summer is sponsored by First Baptist Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and Second Harvest of the Big Bend.
So join us in feeding the hungry and have fun doing it. Jesus fed over 5,000 hungry people in John 6. You can be a part of a miracle by preparing food for distribution this summer. Last year, in an hour and 45 minutes, volunteers packaged 60,424 meals. So volunteer today, and become the hands and feet of Jesus for local children.
A Full Summer takes place on June 3, from 10:00AM – 12:00PM, at Godby High School, 1717 West Tharpe Street. You can register to serve, donate finances, or both at fbctlh.org/a-full-summer. Paper forms are also available in the Connect Center.
Make a difference,
Todd Smith