Feed the Children Distributes Nearly 30,000 Meals During Summer Program Across Three U.S. Cities

Sep 30

OKLAHOMA CITY, September 30, 2024 (VSNewsNetwork.com) – Feed the Children, a nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood hunger, expanded its Summer Feed & Read program to reach children in three cities: Oklahoma City, Memphis, and Atlanta. Through partnerships with organizations such as Americold, FedEx, and StarKist, the initiative provided nearly 30,000 pre-packaged meal kits for children during the summer months when school meals were not available.

In addition to food, the Summer Feed & Read program distributed essential household and personal care items not covered by government assistance programs like SNAP, offering families vital support during a period of increased food insecurity. According to the nonprofit, this effort helped alleviate financial pressure on families, allowing them to allocate more resources toward purchasing food.

The program also focused on promoting literacy. Feed the Children distributed over 8,800 books and encouraged children to participate in local summer reading programs. Research indicates that students can lose significant literacy skills during the summer if they do not engage in regular reading. To combat this, the program offered various opportunities for children to maintain and improve their reading skills throughout the summer.

Feed the Children worked with local partners in each city to reach children in need. In Atlanta, the nonprofit collaborated with Fulton County Schools and the Atlanta Public Library system to distribute meal kits and promote reading initiatives. Americold, headquartered in Atlanta, sponsored backpacks filled with school supplies for 1,665 students, alongside meal and book distributions.

"Americold was proud to partner with Feed the Children this summer by providing meals, books, and school supplies to children in Atlanta, where our company is headquartered. Giving back is one of our values, and we're always looking for ways to share our time and resources in support of the communities where we live and work," said George Chappelle, CEO of Americold.

In Memphis, the program partnered with FedEx to deliver nearly 7,000 pre-packaged meal kits at local community centers. FedEx also supported the Summer Feed & Read initiative in Oklahoma City, where more than 12,000 meal kits were distributed to children with the help of various community organizations.

"We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Feed the Children to make a tangible impact on the lives of thousands of children. As a company, we are deeply committed to giving back and making a positive change in the communities where we live and work", said April Britt, Director of FedEx Global Citizenship.

The Summer Feed & Read program received support from additional partners in Oklahoma City, including local schools, churches, and the Metropolitan Library System’s "Adventure Begins at Your Library" summer reading program.

"We are grateful for all our partners and their commitment to supporting children with the food they need to thrive. We look forward to deepening our impact on childhood hunger through this program in the coming years" said Tamara Sandberg, Vice President of U.S. Program Development at Feed the Children.

For more information on how Feed the Children supports children and families across the U.S. and around the world, visit www.feedthechildren.org.

Source: Feed the Children