Summer-Time Hunger Is On The Rise; Your Support Is Needed For Local Children
Tampa, Fla. – (July 14, 2021) — Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger, a leader in hunger relief, research, and program development, is seeking donations and local volunteers for its Meals on Wheels for Kids Program. The Meals on Wheels for Kids’ mission is to provide nutritious home-delivered, shelf-stable meal ingredients, produce, and prepared meals to transportation-disadvantaged and/or homebound children and their families who lack adequate access to food distribution locations throughout their community.
According to the USDA, more than 11 million children in the United States live in “food insecure” homes. This means that those households do not have enough food for every family member to lead a healthy life. Since the coronavirus pandemic, projections show that 18 million children in the US could face Hunger this year.
The Meals on Wheels for Kids program provides a weekly delivery of meals, shelf-stable groceries, including fresh produce, as resources permit. All donations made to the program go to providing deliveries for those children enrolled. For example, each meal for a child costs $3.00, and a donation of $20.00 provides a full week of food per child.
Donations are accepted via the program’s website or by calling 813-344-5837. Please leave a message if no one answers and someone will get back to you within 24 hours.
“Meals On Wheels for Kids brings food to the homes of those children who are unable to access food distribution sites and/or school meal distribution sites because of transportation issues, poor health, family circumstances, and more. Community donations and volunteers secure our ability to provide resources to those children in need and increase our ability to serve even more,” said Caitlyn Peacock, Executive Director of TBNEH.
Through innovative collaborations and partnerships, MOW4Kids has significantly reduced childhood hunger in Tampa Bay. Since its inception, TBNEH’s unique Meals on Wheels for Kids program has delivered over eight hundred thousand meals to over fifteen thousand families with children in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties and recently expanded into the Metro Atlanta region.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS:
Volunteers are needed each week to help the Meals on Wheels Program for Kids. Volunteers (those with level 2 background checks are preferred) are needed to help pack and deliver shelf-stable boxes of food and meal packs to eligible recipients. Routes take about 60 minutes to complete. Those interested in supporting the program with their time and vehicle can sign up here.
COMMUNITY EXPANSION PROGRAMS:
TBNEH is currently accepting new applications. Schools and community organizations can access the MOW4Kids Request for Proposals and Partner Application at www.mow4kids.com. Organizations interested in launching community programs within the eastern United States that deliver nutritious meals to transportation-disadvantaged and homebound families with children are encouraged to apply to support their communities.
ABOUT TAMPA BAY NETWORK TO END HUNGER:
Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger (TBNEH) is committed to ending Hunger by bringing people together to find solutions that eliminate barriers, increase access and knowledge, and expand the amount of nutritious food available. TBNEH has over 350 members and serves Florida’s Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties through its original programs like Meals on Wheels for Kids and Waste No Food Tampa Bay. TBNEH is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency and relies on community support. For more information, please visit www.NetworktoEndHunger.org.
