INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The final school bell of the year signals freedom and carefree childhood joy. But for more than 52,000 students on the Treasure Coast who depend on their schools for reliable low-cost meals, that final bell signals hunger.
Treasure Coast Food Bank is launching a Summer Hunger Campaign to raise enough money to feed those children who otherwise won’t know where to find meals this summer. Before the last school bell rings, Treasure Coast Food Bank wants to raise $250,000, enough to close the summer hunger gap.
“We know that only about 5 percent of the 52,000 children getting free and reduced-price meals during the school year have adequate nutrition during the summer,” said Treasure Coast Food Bank CEO Judy Cruz. “That’s unacceptable. Nutritious food ought to be just as accessible to our children during the summer as it is during the school year.”
Summer is traditionally a time of struggle for families in need of food with no access to the lunches the schools provide. In addition, it’s a time when donations to Treasure Coast Food Bank and its partner food pantries decrease.
“Our plan is ambitious because it needs to be ambitious,” Cruz said. “Each summer we watch the need escalate. While we have had summer feeding programs for the past three years, there are just too many children still going without meals.”
Keeping children well-fed through the summer is not only a matter of food. It’s the basis for keeping them healthy and ready to learn.
“The link between health issues and hunger is pretty striking,” said Miguel Coty, Treasure Coast Food Bank’s Board Chair and Vice President, Chief Marketing officer for Martin Memorial Health Systems. “If a child is eating poorly, that child is more likely to have a compromised immune system and become ill more frequently. We believe healthy food should be available to every child.”
The money raised by the Summer Hunger Campaign will be used to provide meals at sites throughout the Treasure Coast in partnership with many agencies that provide summer programs. Those include the Boys and Girls Clubs, vacation Bible schools, camps, and Treasure Coast Food Bank’s own Your Plate Health & Wellness Center.
Treasure Coast Food Bank continues to recruit more agencies willing to provide summer breakfasts, snacks or lunches for children beginning in June.
Send a tax-deductible donation to Treasure Coast Food Bank, 401 Angle Road, Fort Pierce, 34947, or donate online at www.stophunger.org.