TOLEDO, Ohio — Food insecurity is a real problem for many families. For some, that means deciding whether to spend money on rent, medication or groceries.
According to Feeding America, in Ohio, one in seven children faces hunger. Food insecurity is associated with delayed development in young children as well as risk of illness and behavioral issues.
Connecting Kids to Meals is working to change those statistics for young people in northwest Ohio.
“We’re here to break down barriers, make sure kids are accessing healthy, free meals every single day,” Connecting Kids to Meals President and CEO Wendi Huntley said.
The organization provides 700,000 meals to children every year and the need keeps growing.
When it began 20 years ago, Connecting Kids to Meals started with 30 sites in Toledo. Now it’s expanded with nearly 150 sites in the summer and 90 during the school year, serving meals in places like Fostoria, Fremont, North Baltimore and areas in between, according to Huntley.
“It’s really a response to what’s happening in our community and it’s also uncovering the realities of our community," Huntley said. "Because not everyone is aware that child food insecurity is a serious issue; not just in Toledo and not just in Lucas County, but across our country."
The organization shares a $2.8 million kitchen with Cherry Street Mission Ministries that was built in 2017. There’s also a warehouse attached to the kitchen.
“It’s taken years to get to this point, but we really pride ourselves in making sure all of the different components and all of the teams are working well together,” Huntley said.
This is a federal child nutrition program and there is some reimbursement funding, but Huntley said it’s not enough money to cover the cost of the meals.
Every dollar in donations from the community provides two nutritious meals.
Students don’t have to qualify to receive the meals, but sites do. Huntley said the site has to be a school or near a school that has 50% or more of its kids who qualify for free and reduced meals.
The After-School All-Stars program is able to serve two meals each weekday to students at four Toledo Public Schools’ sites plus Lucas Metropolitan Housing, thanks to Connecting Kids to Meals.
“Anybody who is under the age of 18 can come and get a meal," ASAS Mentorship Manager Rachel Geske said. "So it’s not just for our students participating in the program, we are able to serve the community as well."
Students also get bags with shelf-stable food to help them get through the weekend.
“I just want (Connecting Kids to Meals) to play a critical role, not duplicate efforts in this community," Huntley said. "I just want us to really help our community to be a better community, help our kids to actually grow and to thrive."
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