End Childhood Hunger in the High Country

An initiative of the Hunger & Health Coalition, Inc.

The goal is simple: End Childhood Hunger in the High Country. In a community with so many resources, children must have the access to food so that they can develop their minds and bodies.

Making necessities available to children is the focus of the Initiative to End Childhood Hunger in the High Country. Considering the number of children at risk and the potential harm that can result from inadequate nutrition, the Hunger & Health Coalition is compelled to take action to make more food available to hungry children.

Research has shown that even mild under nutrition can have lifelong effects on children, impairing their physical, cognitive and social development. Making sure children have access to food is a basic investment in their future. The End Childhood Hunger in the High Country initiative provides food to children so that they have access to nutritious foods for snacks and meals.

18.5% of the families with children under 18 in Watauga county live in poverty. Over half (54.2%) of families headed by a single mother live in poverty. The poverty rates combined with rising unemployment, low wages and increasing costs have created a perilous environment for children. With conditions worsening, it is certain that the number of children living in poverty will increase. 30% of children are classified as “asset poor”, meaning that they could not survive a loss of income for three months without ending up under the poverty level.

The Hunger & Health Coalition currently operates four programs that work directly with children - the Healthy Start program, Snacks for Scholars program and the Backpack program which began in Fall 2009. The Healthy Start program partners with the Head Start center and local daycares in Watauga county to deliver weekly snack bags to the preschool children. The Snacks for Scholars program provides snack bags to children on a daily basis. Many children come in to the office after school to pick up snacks. The Backpack program partners with the local high school to deliver backpacks of nutritious foods for children to take home over the weekend. The backpacks will be returned on Monday, refilled and returned to students on Friday.

Food for these programs is obtained either from the Second Harvest Food Bank in Winston Salem or purchased from food retailers or wholesalers. The amount that must be purchased has increased as the supply from the food bank diminishes. The Hunger & Health Coalition is committed to identifying and implementing additional programs or services that will result in more children receiving the food they so desperately need.

The Hunger & Health Coalition understands that children need more than “just food” to grow and develop. Many essential items of children, such as diapers, formula or vitamins, are out of reach for families due to the cost. The Hunger & Health Coalition has created an infrastructure to distribute food and other items to local families in need. Expansion of available items will help children develop physically, cognitively and emotionally.