The following article was written by Patrick Boyle, the Executive Director of the Sheboygan County Food Bank.
The latest available statistics estimate that there are about 5,000 children in Sheboygan County living with hunger. Studies show that children who are hungry have a hard time focusing in school, are likely to fall behind academically, become at risk for illness and poor attendance, and often have low self-esteem and lack of energy.
Food for Thought for Kids is one of Sheboygan County Food Bank’s (SCFB) ongoing programs in partnership with 24 local schools that is dedicated to supporting children facing hunger. SCFB works with teachers, counselors, principals, and volunteers to make sure children who don’t have enough food to eat on the weekends get a bag filled with 10 nutritious items, including fresh fruit and other easy-to-eat food, at the end of each school week. Making sure children have food when they don’t have access to school meals is critical. Food for Thought for Kids fills the gap between the federally-funded school breakfast and lunch programs and FoodShare (also known as Food Stamps or SNAP), allowing children in our community to grow and thrive.
16 years ago, Sheboygan County resident, mother, and now Food for Thought for Kids co-lead volunteer, Anjenette Pond, had a conversation with a teacher at a local school that made her realize there were hungry kids in the teacher’s class. “The teacher and I came up with a plan that our family was going to respond to this need and give food to the couple of kids to put in their backpacks and bring home for the weekends,” said Anjenette.
Fast forward to a decade later, Anjenette met with SCFB to see if her work could be formalized into a program to help more kids. This came at a time when Nourish, another local non-profit, recently approached SCFB to take over their Good Food Club, a small program designed to provide weekend food to about a dozen Longfellow Elementary School students in need. Aligning with SCFB’s mission to increase the food security of its residents by distributing healthy emergency food, in 2018 SCFB officially established Food for Thought for Kids to serve more kids weekend food. “Sheboygan County Food Bank helped me extend this family mission to a community mission,” said Anjenette.
SCFB is launching a crowdfunding campaign, Fund Food for Thought, with the ultimate goal of supporting 450 children through Food for Thought for Kids during the 2023-2024 school year. Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or program by raising money from a large number of people, online, and often with social media.
SCFB is counting on individuals, companies, and organizations to help donate and spread the word on social media. Their campaign website page is the hub for donating and following updates on the goal progress, top supporters and recent donations. Donors can choose from different donation levels (various levels from $5 – $1,000 or any other amount) that describe exactly how the donation will make a difference for a child(ren). For $200, a donor can provide nutritious weekend meals and snacks for one child for the entire 2023-2024 school year.
“With continued inflation, rising food prices and decreasing support from the government, more children will be at risk to experience hunger on the weekends. The good news is that we can do something about this. With our community’s help, we can help build a strong and hopeful future for our children, who need our kindness, love and compassion. Please consider donating to Fund Food for Thought to make sure no child in Sheboygan County suffers hunger,” said Patrick Boyle, Executive Director, Sheboygan County Food Bank.
SCFB’s first goal is to raise $30,000 to feed 150 children for the 2023-2024 school year. When $30,000 is reached, SCFB will unlock its next goal that will bring them closer to their final goal of supporting 450 children for the upcoming school year.
You can help make a difference for children facing hunger in our community by donating directly to Food for Thought for Kids.
If you aren’t able to donate, you can still help by spreading the word on social media. Check out the #FundFoodForThought social media toolkit.
