Hopelink seeking food to feed kids at end of summer

Published 2:39 pm Friday, May 9, 2014

Hopelink has launched a campaign to help feed kids at the end of summer. The effort targets more than 16,000 kids in north and east King County who may not have a regular healthy, nutritious breakfast or lunch. During summer vacation, kids who are part of their school’s free and reduced-price meal programs no longer have access to that program.

Hopelink CEO Lauren Thomas said the consequences of this gap extend far beyond the discomfort of going to bed hungry.

“We know that when children don’t have access to nutritious food when they are young, they sometimes face developmental challenges that can affect them for the rest of their lives,” Thomas said. “We know that hungry children get sick more often – and they are hospitalized more often. And we know that hungry children have more social and behavioral problems because they can’t adapt as effectively to stressful situations. “

The End Summer Hunger – running now through August – will stock the agency’s five food banks and provide additional healthy breakfast and lunch-type foods to current food bank clients with school-aged children, including fresh fruit and fruit juices, peanut butter, cereal, ramen and snacks.

More information is available by contacting Emily DeWitt at edewitt@hope-link.org or at http://www.hope-link.org/take_action/end_summer_hunger.