Odwalla and The Hunger in the Summer Project #Odwalla4Kids

Too many kids (and families) are hungry in America.

When school is out for the summer, many children

lose access to their free or reduced lunches and will be hungry.

There is something we all can do about it.

I am thrilled to write this sponsored post as part of

 Collective Bias®, Odwalla, and Champions for Kids.

Please read it and see what you can do to help.

"When school lets out for the summer, millions of children lose access to the school breakfasts, lunches and after school snacks they receive during the regular school year. Only 1 out of 6 children who receive free or reduced-price meals during the school year continue to receive meals during the summer months. Low-income families with children face even more challenges during the summer when they stretch their food budget to provide additional meals for their children."

quoted from Odwalla Hunger in the Summer

 

I have always realized that hunger is a real problem in America. As I had my own kids and they started school, I saw children in their classes struggling with these issues. It is heartbreaking and hard to not want to help in any way you can.

Last year my husband lost his job and has not worked since.

Luckily we are still able to provide food and shelter and safety for our children,

but it did make me stop and really think about how close so many people

are to being in a situation where they are struggling to provide for their families.

While my own children have not had to face this issue head on,

I know their are many children that go to the same school

who have and who continue to have real needs.

(This is an important issue, please READ MORE to see how you can help)

I was recently told that 1/4 of the students at the middle school have assistance for breakfast and/or lunch. That is a large percentage of kids in a pretty small community. I had no idea the number was this high...and my guess is when people come to the Monterey Peninsula and see the oceanfront homes, dine at award winning restaurants, attend exclusive events, and play at the private clubs and golf courses, that they have no idea of the drastic socioeconomic differences here.

This area has a diverse, "interesting," and complicated job market. It is a bit of a transient area with a huge divide between those with professional, steady incomes and those who are just getting by. The children of these families all live on a this peninsula, side by side, and attend the same schools, making the differences even that much more apparent.

In recent years I have not done as much volunteering for the community as I should have, but this year I am being inspired by my son. Our middle and high schools require community service for graduation, and so I figured this is the perfect time to get the whole family (and a few friends) involved in giving back to the community.

The Odwalla Summer Hunger Project struck a chord with me.

Here are some simple facts and ways you can help children and families in need.

The following information is taken from the

Odwalla Champions for Kids Summer Hunger Project

Ways YOU Can Help!
GATHER your friends, family, and co-workers to fight hunger in the summer by hosting a food drive in your community. Nutritious snacks like Odwalla Kids Bars and Juice Boxes would be great to give! Consider giving out prizes to the person who donates the most food at your office or community organization!

LEARN about the needs of children in your community by asking a food pantry volunteer, school nurse, or social worker to talk with your group about their experiences.

GIVE the food items that you collect to a food bank in your community
so that children and families will have enough to eat this summer.
 
SHARE your story with us at www.championsforkids.org/share so that we can celebrate your participation! How many people were involved, and how many items did you collect? Please let us know that you are ONE of Millions who helped reach our goal to mobilize 20 Million people by 2020 to become Champions for Kids!

With the end of the school year fast approaching,

there is a great need for further assistance to keep children from going hungry.

My kids and I decided to give back to our community.

First, we headed to Walmart to purchase Odwalla Bars for Kids.

These nutritious snacks bars are a great way to get food into the hands of the children. You can read all about my shopping trip and how we purchased our donation in google+

Secondly, we organized a food drive.

The food drive is still in progress, but we made a flyer and passed it out to a few neighbors and friends. We have collected some snack bags, soup, and tomato sauce and pasta so far.

We will continue the food rive and encourage others to join in too!

Finally, we chose to donate our food to The Hope Center in Monterey,

an organization founding by five moms who volunteer their time

hoping to help end hunger on the Monterey Peninsula.

Mission Statement of the Hope Center:
The Hope Center has been founded to provide groceries for our neighbors in need.
Our mission is to distribute groceries on the first and third Thursday of every month.
Groceries that consist of staple food items, toiletries, baby food and supplies, and pet food and supplies if necessary.
We believe that keeping families together, with their children and pets, and fed, even in the toughest of economic times, is the best way we can keep our community strong, happy, and safe.
We also provide information about other services in our community that can help families who are facing economic challenges.
It is our goal to empower our children to see that in helping your neighbors you can make the world a better place.

At first I had a lot of idea about how to create fun packaging or make everything "cute" - then my son, being the logical guy he is,

asked if it did not make more sense if our efforts, money, and time would be better spent purchasing more supplies and Odwalla bars,

as well as continuing the food drive for the Hope Center.

He is pretty smart sometimes, isn't he?

(LOVE that kid!)

So that is what we will be doing...

 concentrating our efforts on getting more food

and other necessities into the hand of people who need them!

Be sure to follow Odwalla on Facebook and Twitter 

Have you ever participated in a Simple Service project?

Now is the time! 

Please consider doing an 

Odwalla Hunger in the Summer Project 

in your community!

This post is written and created at 504 Main by Holly Lefevre   I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®, Odwalla, and Champions for Kids #cbias #SocialFabric