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At The Table

Thank You for Giving Kids a Healthy and Brighter Future

By May 18, 2017July 16th, 2018No Comments

Before the Cascade Boys & Girls Club in Everett became a Food Lifeline partner, its director, Lisa Hoppe, says they struggled to provide a decent meal for members on the Club’s small food budget. But now, children who attend Cascade Club — and its satellite location at Emerson Elementary — are able to sit down to a balanced meal complete with fruit, vegetables and protein.

Cascade Club has nearly 460 teenage and child members and is open year-round. When classes are in session, participants have a full after-school dinner. And during the summer, they have a meal, plus snacks. Lisa says the need for food assistance is clear: Children often fill their backpacks with healthy items from the site’s shared snack bin on Fridays because they know they won’t have enough food at home over the weekend.

“There’s a good chance a lot of these kids won’t have anything to eat when they get home,” Lisa says of Club attendees, nearly 80 percent of whom are on their school’s free and reduced-price meal program. About 95 percent of kids at the Emerson Elementary site receive school meals.

With so many children depending on school meal programs, the need for food is especially great during the summer. Because she routinely sees little ones load up on food for fear that they’ll go hungry, it means a lot to Lisa to know she can provide them with the nutrition they need.

What’s more, since her site began working with Food Lifeline, Lisa says she’s able to keep kids safe by considering each individual child’s food allergies. She works with Food Lifeline’s team to make sure any items containing a child’s allergens are pulled from the Clubs’ shipments, so there’s no risk to children with unique dietary needs.

It’s always encouraging to hear positive feedback from partners like Lisa. With so many children in her care, she’s truly grateful for friends like you who help fill their tables with full, healthy meals.

“We’re really appreciative — especially for the fresh items,” Lisa says.

Getting Food Lifeline was miraculous!”

You put smiles on so many faces. Without your partnership, there’s no way we’d be able to connect children like those Lisa serves with the nutritious food they need. Thank you so much!