Meade County Cattlemen’s Association and United Way Feed Meade County Children(Elizabethtown, KY) December 8, 2016 – A partnership between the Meade County Cattlemen’s Association and United Way of Central Kentucky will prevent more children from going hungry when they’re not being fed at school. The Cattlemen’s Association recently presented UWCK with a $1,000 check to be used to enroll 10 Meade County children in the BackPack program through United Way’s collaboration with Feeding America Kentucky’s Heartland.
According to a 2014 study conducted by Feeding America, 21.6% of Meade County children were deemed food insecure, meaning they face limited or uncertain access to food. Of these 1,700 children, approximately 87% are eligible for free or reduced lunch programs to ensure their nutritional needs are met at school. This leaves over 200 children who face hunger but live in households that are deemed ineligible for federal nutrition programs reliant on services provided by nonprofits like United Way and Feeding America.
The BackPack program was established to provide all children at risk of hunger with a bag of food on Fridays so they would have access to a meal when food is scare in their homes on weekends. “Teachers were seeing children come in to school on Monday complaining of stomach aches and unable to focus on learning because they were hungry,” said United Way of Central Kentucky President & CEO Megan Stith. “It is heartbreaking to know that there are families in our community who struggle to put food on the table, but we are grateful for the generosity of those who support this program so fewer children have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.”
“As farmers who take great pride in feeding our nation, the Meade County Cattlemen’s Association wanted to make a difference in our local community and felt it was unacceptable that we have children going hungry in our own backyards,” said MCCA Vice President David Johnston. “We are proud to have worked alongside United Way for the last two years to support Meade County’s BackPack program, investing a total of $2,500 in local children.” The contribution will allow 10 Meade County children to receive weekly bags of food through the program for a full school year, and with additional support from United Way’s Give a Day for Hunger initiative, during spring and fall breaks.
To learn more about how you can support the BackPack program and work to reduce hunger in our local community, contact Megan Stith at mstith@unitedwayck.org or call 270-737-6608.
