No Child Goes Hungry has donated healthy snacks, food, and supplies to the Trinity Learning Center (TLC) to support its on-site Food Pantry launch. The pantry is just one of several initiatives TLC leaders are taking to battle childhood hunger in their communities. The organization is also establishing a student-maintained garden so young people can grow vegetables and take them home to their families. No Child Goes Hungry has also donated gardening supplies to support the garden’s set-up and maintenance.
TLC offers an alternative to traditional schools for families that need individualized childhood education that addresses the child’s unique needs. TLC has more than doubled in size over the past two years, so to support its growth, its leaders are working to establish a healthy lunch program that provides students with accessible, healthy meals to keep them nourished throughout the school day.
“We are located in rural Fayette County, West Virginia, one of 11 counties in the state that is labeled as experiencing persistent poverty,” said Sara Prior, a representative from Trinity Learning Center. “Many of our students attend TLC with the support of income-based tuition or the ESA HOPE scholarship program. We wish to offer our students a free food pantry to help fill the gaps between meals on days when their families need a little extra help to put food on the table.. We also plan to incorporate health and nutrition lessons into our curriculum to establish a foundational appreciation for making healthy choices so our students learn to make conscientious choices about how they fuel their bodies.”
At TLC, each student is evaluated, and then staff members create a custom plan suitable to their specific academic needs.
“We believe that by providing students early on with things that build their strengths and identify their weaknesses, they will be more successful in the long term throughout their educational journey,” said Prior.
According to No Child Goes Hungry Founder and Director Kären Rasmussen, requests for funding, supplies, and food to stock school pantries and backpack programs are on the rise.
“We know that the average American family is feeling the pinch of high food costs while many still struggle with unemployment and underemployment,” said Rasmussen. “I applaud those teachers, faith-based leaders, and community heroes who are helping support kids with healthy snacks at school and to take home to ease their hunger pangs when their home pantries are sparse. I’m pleased to partner with TLC to establish their food pantry and am confident it will make a difference for many of their students — who we know are future leaders in our communities.”
Contact us for more information about starting a food pantry in your community.
Let’s feed some kids!