SPOKANE, Wash. — More children in our area might go hungry on the weekends due to a lack of funding for a local food pantry program.
Second Harvest’s ‘Bite2Go’ program currently provides weekend food bags to around 12,500 children throughout the region during the school year.
Second Harvest estimates that approximately 20% of children in the region are food insecure.
This year, the organization said it will have to reduce the number of children served by roughly 300, due to reduced funding from partner organizations.
“The last thing we want is for people to come to school when it starts and go, ‘uh oh,'” said Eric Williams, a team member at Second Harvest. “So we’re reaching out to schools and letting them know there are some gaps.”
The timing of the funding shortfall comes as more families are struggling with food insecurity.
Williams said more people are using food pantries to keep food on the table.
“Yes, there are more people accessing food banks and food pantries. Particularly, we continue to see more and more working families – people who have jobs, but they’re really struggling to make ends meet,” Williams said.
The Bite2Go program partners with several school districts in the area, including Spokane Public Schools. District officials said that demand for the program has consistently remained high, with the program having to turn students away in the past due to insufficient food supplies.
The program operates entirely on private donations from local businesses, churches and other partner organizations, receiving no government funding. This reliance on private support makes the program vulnerable to fluctuations in community giving.
“This is privately donated. There is no government money in Bite2Go. This is all privately funded and we’re working like crazy with our partners and the other organizations to fill those gaps and make sure to get the food to the kids who really need it,” Williams said.
Second Harvest is actively seeking new donors to help bridge the funding gap before the school year begins. The organization hopes additional community support will prevent children from going without weekend meals.
Community members who want to help can donate through Second Harvest’s website to sponsor individual students or entire schools. The organization also accepts food donations at various drop-off locations throughout the region.
For more information on Bite2Go, visit www.2-harvest.org.
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