SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – For the third year, The Rotary Club of Springfield has implemented a Rotary Youth Weekend Food Distribution Program to help fight child hunger in Springfield.
According to Springfield Rotary Club Past President Karen Longo, 54,000 students in Vermont participate in the school lunch program. During the summer, 75% of these children will potentially struggle with food insecurity and hunger. The most at-risk children for food insecurity are also the ones who are most affected by the achievement gap, and poor academic and athletic outcomes that can have lifelong effects.
Currently, some of the children attending the YMCA summer camp rely on the food program for most of their nutrition during the week,” Longo explained. “These supports do not exist over the weekend, so the Rotary Club of Springfield established the Rotary Youth Weekend Food Distribution Program for campers.”
“The Rotary Club prepares shopping bags filled with high protein, low sugar foods every Thursday evening, and delivers them to the camp on Friday mornings,” Longo said. “The bags are sent home discreetly with the campers on Fridays to ensure they are well fed over the weekend, and can come in Monday mornings, ready to hike, swim, and learn.”
So far, close to 100 shopping bags were distributed that contained water, fruits, a jar of peanut butter, crackers, veggie sticks, cheese crackers, noodles, fruit snacks, smart popcorn, carrots, pudding, hand sanitizer, and utensils.
The Springfield Rotary Club will continue to support the Rotary Youth Weekend Food Distribution Program until the end of August.
The Rotary Club of Springfield, founded in 1927, is an active community service club of more than 40 members who engage in community and human service projects both locally and internationally. For more information, visit www.springfieldvtrotary.org.