As the weather begins to warm, Northeast Ohio children begin daydreaming about summer’s arrival. For many, this could mean trips to the pool and fun, neighborhood games. However, for more than one in five children in the Foodbank’s 8-county service area, this may not be a reality.
More than 72,000 children in our area receive one, if not two meals while at school. Most of these students rely heavily on these free or reduced-price meals. Some are also recipients of backpack programs; they receive easy-to-prepare meals for weekends and holiday breaks.
When summer arrives, families with already overextended budgets are forced to make up for lost school meals, in addition to daycare costs. It can be difficult to supplement the 10 meals per week their children would have received at school.
Summer hunger is a problem, and your Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank seeks to meet the needs of these children struggling with food insecurity during the summer months. The Foodbank’s hunger-relief partners are here to help by providing nutritious meals and snacks when school is not in session.
Food pantries will serve as a much-needed resource for these families and will help them make ends meet. Many of these hunger-relief programs will see an increase in use during the summer months.