No one likes the idea of kids in our local communities going hungry. Kids should be free to learn and grow, without worrying about food. However in Western Washington, nearly 1 in 4 kids is struggles to get enough food. So to address that, Food Lifeline partnered with Target to pilot the Meals for Minds program. This program brings the food kids need like milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, juice and more, directly to a high need elementary school in North Seattle.
Each month during last school year, Food Lifeline brought together volunteers and the school staff to create a food bank just for kids and their families. Located in an outdoor covered playground, this monthly program was a great success. Meals for Minds distributed over 31,500 pounds of food to an average of 152 kids every month.
However, at Food Lifeline, we don’t just rest on our success, we also seek out ways to improve our programs. So last year we ran focus groups in the elementary school to learn more about what foods kids really liked. Turns out they loved the fresh apples and oranges and wanted more of the juice, canned chili and mac and cheese.
This year we are continuing this program thanks to a continuation of the grant from Target. These monthly distributions are highly sought after volunteer opportunities and a great chance to see the impact of your support.
Do you want to help us continue programs like Meals for Minds? Every donation you make helps us keep these programs running and makes sure that more kids in Western Washington get to grow up healthy and strong.
