“Ride for Relief is back! Our goal is to raise $20,000 for our internship program. Help us raise funds by signing up for our team, becoming a fundraiser, and sharing your efforts with friends and family. Then, come out to the Farm on April 8th to enjoy a fun group ride! Stay for Farm Day after! Top teams will win Farm Day lunch tickets, WHRI gear, and other great products.”
Posted: Thursday, August 15, 2013 12:01 am , Updated: 2:27 am, Thu Aug 15, 2013 at WacoTrib.com
By REGINA DENNIS rdennis@wacotrib.com
Waco Tribune-Herald
Waco school and community sites soon will offer free dinners to local children during the school year in a joint effort to reduce childhood hunger.
The city of Waco received a $45,000 grant from the National League of Cities to create an afterschool full meal program in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Waco was one of 15 cities nationally to receive funding from the organization’s Cities Combating Child Hunger Through Afterschool and Summer Meals Programs (CHAMPS) initiative.
Read the complete article online at http://www.wacotrib.com/news/education/city-waco-schools-to-offer-free-dinners-to-local-children/article_63bbdc0e-d16e-5032-8d59-d22a9b88e89a.html
The Heart of Texas CROP Hunger Walk has set a goal of 200 Walkers and hopes to raise $5,000.00 to help stop hunger and poverty in the Waco community and around the world. A portion of the funds from the walk will go to Caritas of Waco. Last year, some 80 walkers braved the drought-breaking rain to raise more than $4,000 in the local CROP Hunger Walk. This year’s walk will take place on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 14, at Bledsoe Miller Park (300 Martin Luther King Blvd.) Registration will begin at 2:00 and the walk will begin at 3:00. CROP Hunger Walks are held in more than 2,000 cities in the United States, all during the year, involving hundreds of faith communities. With the theme “Ending hunger one step at a time,” walkers proclaim their solidarity with the millions of people around the world who have to walk long distances to find food and water—as well as with the millions of people served by local food pantries, food banks and meal sites in our own country. A portion of the funds from every CROP Hunger Walk goes to a local agency that serves hungry people. The local recipient for this year’s walk is Caritas of Waco.
Participants in the CROP hunger walk recruit friends and members of their congregations to sponsor them as they walk. Registration and preliminary activities begin at 2:00 pm and participants will start walking at 3:00. The 5K route goes from Bledsoe-Miller Park (300 Martin Luther King Blvd), up the Brazos River Walk to the Herring Avenue bridge and across, down through the Pecan Bottoms of Cameron Park along University Parks Drive to the Washington Street bridge, and back to Bledsoe-Miller Park. For those who don’t think they can walk for five kilometers (3.2 miles), there is a “Golden Mile” route. Fun prizes will be awarded to various walkers—including for Best Costume.
For more information about the Heart of Texas CROP Hunger Walk, contact Katie Cook at Seeds of Hope 254/755-7745 or email seedseditor@clearwire.net.
On Saturday July 21st The McLennan County Hunger Coalition partnered with Bohemia Magazine to raise 140 pounds of food for the Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry. The Event featured a variety of Waco artists and performers as well as vendors and wine tasting. Some musicians included The Horton Duo, Cordial Roy, Well Behaved Young Men and the Fly Seks, a full list of venders and performers can be seen here.
The event was free and patrons were encouraged to bring canned or dry food to donate to the McLennan County Hunger Coalition. The Hunger Coalition gave all the food collected to shepherds heart in Waco. This food will help the pantry finish out the summer months before kids return to school in the fall. The event was an overall success and the Hunger Coalition hopes to work with Bohemia in the future to continue to raise awareness of hunger and poverty in McLennan County as well as build the relationship between the arts and nonprofit communities in Waco.
A recent PBS special on food stamps that challenges some of the common misconceptions and stereotypes people have about food stamp recipients.
Some facts from the video:
-Currently 46 million Americans qualify and use food stamps.
-The typical food stamp recipient is not unemployed.
-Food stamp recipients are typically working and or over 65 years old.
Watch Portraits of Hunger on PBS. See more from Need to Know.
See the whole article here
On Wednesday, February 29th representatives from the McLennan County Hunger Coalition met with STARS’s High school principal and students to donate $500 of a $1000 gift to be used for the purchase of healthy snacks and meals for students to eat while in school. STARS (Students That Are Reaching Success) is an alternative education school that assists students ages 16-21 in receiving their High school Diplomas.
STARS currently has 100 students enrolled in 3 sessions and has had over 400 graduates come through the program since its founding in 2002. There are also many students who attend STARS for a short time then return to their home campuses to graduate. Students who attend STARS have unique and complicated life situations that make it difficult for them to attend normal school sessions. STARS was created to help students’ complete their graduation requirements in an individualized, helpful environment so they can earn their diplomas and progress towards college and/or employment.
While STARS is technically part of Waco ISD, STARS does not get funding for food. The STARS building is not equipped with a cafeteria or kitchen, only a microwave and heating skillet. Most food is purchased by teachers or staff with their own personal money. The McLennan County Hunger Coalition recognized the need for funding and has provided the STARS school with a $1000 donation to go towards the purchase of healthy snacks for students to eat during study and class sessions. The $1000 is part of a Valero Grant the Hunger Coalition received earlier this year to go towards efforts to combat child hunger .
In regards to how STARS would use the funds, STARS Principal Norma Moon said, “We would utilize the funds to purchase snacks that would be appropriate for morning, afternoon, and evening students. Sometimes that would mean breakfast type items, such as lean pockets, fruit cups, juice, apples, oranges, Pop Tarts, nature/breakfast bars. We would continue purchasing peanut butter and cheese crackers; the kids enjoy these, and they are a healthy snack. We would also purchase cookies and other snacks that come in large size containers and share them as needed with students. We occasionally buy pizzas (at a discounted price) and $1 menu items from McDonald’s, as well as some candy. Currently we buy as we can, either through local support or the staff’s personal funds. These funds would allow us to look at what we buy for snacks and make good, healthy choices (as much as we can) and ensure that these students are eating something so that they can do their work at school.
The Hunger Coalition is excited to see this money going towards a great cause and hopes to work with STARS more in the future.