WADESBORO — Anson County Schools was awarded $20,000 from No Kid Hungry to help the existing Back Pack and Pantry programs.
The No Kid Hungry School Nutrition Grant Opportunity “provides funding to school districts to maximize the child nutrition programs and other emergency food programs to ensure children and families have access to healthy meals at school and at home during the school year and/or summer months.”
The Anson County School District’s School Nutrition Department plays an essential role in ensuring students receive nutritious meals to learn, grow, and thrive to reach their full potential. This flexible grant will allow the School Nutrition Department to respond to the growing needs and emerging opportunities to provide healthy snacks, fresh fruits, vegetables and resources to the programs that are already in place.
The No Kid Hungry Grant is giving Anson County Schools the opportunity to provide resources to two programs at once: the Back Pack Program, which is currently supported by loal churches and community donations, and the Pantry Program, which is also supported by local churches and community donations.
According to School Nutrition Director Juanita Starling, the goal at School Nutrition Services is to “complement the services that are in place.”
“The economic impact of COVID-19 continues to affect everyone in Anson in some way,” Starling continued. “Food insecurity is something no child should have to worry about, yet there are children every day that do not have the fortuity to open their cabinets and choose a healthy snack. The goal is to give hope in times of crisis, while the economic hardships the families face together seem never-ending with the rising cost of food and basic essentials.”
With the No Kid Hungry Grant funds, School Nutrition Services can support the Backpack and Pantry programs in fighting food insecurities.
“School Nutrition Services will support the immediate need for food in both the Back Pack Program and the School Pantries that offers services to all students in the Anson County School District,” Starling said. “School Nutrition Services will be working closely with student services and the Back Pack Program/Pantry coordinator at each site to determine the need at their site for items that will add to the sustainability of each program. Some of the sites may need shelving in their food pantry, containers to store items, or carts to transport food or backpack bags.”
They will also support the Pantry Program with fresh fruits and/or vegetables on Fridays, and a supply of shelf-stable foods for the students that choose to participate in the Back Pack program.
These programs are committed to alleviating the hunger that the children face.
For more information on these programs, call the school system at 704-694-4417 and ask for Anson County Schools Social Worker Kam McDonald.