SUPPORT FOR GREATER CHATTANOOGA IS PROVIDED BY EPB FIBER OPTICS AND UNUM.
AS A CHILD, MY MOTHER, WAS NOT A STABLE MOM.
IT MAY BE LIKE RAMEN NOODLES FOR TWO WEEKS STRAIGHT, OR YOU MAY HAVE CEREAL.
IT WASN’T LIKE A FULL NUTRITIOUS MEAL.
AS A CHILD YOU REALLY DO NOT REALIZE, HOW DIFFERENT YOUR SITUATION IS, AND HOW THAT’S
NOT NORMAL.
BECAUSE IT’S NORMAL TO YOU, IT’S ALL YOU’VE EVER EXPERIENCED.
AS AN ADULT I LOOK BACK AND NOW I SEE, WHAT MY CIRCUMSTANCES WERE, AND HOW WE LIVED AND
HOW ABNORMAL THAT WAS, BUT AS A CHILD I HAD NO CLUE.
ACCORDING TO THE USDA FOOD INSECURITY IS A LACK OR ACCESS TO FOOD OR NUTRITIONALLY ADEQUATE
FOOD, SO PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW WHERE THEIR NEXT MEAL IS COMING FROM.
STATISTICS FOR OUR AREA IS ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN AND ONE IN SEVEN ADULTS.
THAT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF 61,610 CHILDREN IN OUR SERVICE AREA ARE CATEGORIZED AS FOOD INSECURE.
THERE'S A VARIETY OF REASONS WHY SOMEONE MIGHT BECOME FOOD INSECURE.
I THINK THE FACE OF HUNGER WOULD SURPRISE PEOPLE.
IF YOU’RE THINKING ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN, IT’S GOING TO BE IN EVERY SCHOOL.
THE SACK PACK PROGRAM, WE IDENTIFY WHICH CHILDREN ARE PROBABLY FOOD INSECURE.
TEACHERS RECOGNIZED THAT ATTENDANCE RATES WOULD SPIKE ON MONDAYS AND FRIDAYS IT WAS
BECAUSE KIDS WERE COMING TO SCHOOL TO GET A MEAL TO EAT, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING
TO EAT OVER THE WEEKEND.
WE’D BEEN SEEING THE NEED FOR PROBABLY ABOUT TWO YEARS.
THEN MS.
COPELAND, A FELLOW TEACHER, IS AMAZING AND SHE ACTUALLY DOES A SNACK PACK PROGRAM AT
HER CHURCH,
WE REALIZED AT MY CHURCH WHAT A NEED THERE WAS.
THERE IS A LOT OF TEACHERS THERE.
AND WE BEGAN THE PROGRAM AND IT JUST GREW AND GREW AND GREW.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 1,500 IN CATOOSA COUNTY THAT WE DO EVERY WEEK.
IT WOULD BE HARD FOR JUST ONE CHURCH TO MAINTAIN A PROGRAM.
WE ACTUALLY CONDUCTED A SURVEY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO ASK THE FAMILIES JUST BASIC
NEEDS OF FOOD, TECHNOLOGY, DIFFERENT THINGS,
A LOT OF IT IS JUST TEACHER JUDGEMENT, TOO.
YOU JUST HEAR THINGS AND YOU JUST KNOW.
YOU CAN SEE THINGS, ESPECIALLY REALLY YOUNG CHILDREN.
THEY'RE PRETTY FORWARD WITH THEIR FEELINGS.
WE STARTED REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY IN HOPES THAT WE COULD FIND SOMEONE THAT COULD
HELP US.
I MET JANICE FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE HAD HEARD THAT THEIR CHURCH DID THE SNACK PACKS.
WE WERE ACTUALLY TURNED DOWN AT FIRST AND TOLD THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO SERVICE US
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES.
IN THAT SAME DAY, A PRIVATE DONOR GAVE MONEY TO SUPPORT JUST OUR SCHOOL SO WE WOULDN'T
HAVE TO TURN THOSE KIDS AWAY.
IN 2014, THE PRINCIPAL AT RED BANK HIGH SCHOOL, HAD TOLD A MEMBER OF OUR CONGREGATION THAT
HE WAS THANKFUL FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES, BUT THAT HE HAD CHILDREN AT HIS SCHOOL WHO WERE HUNGRY.
AT FIRST, I DON'T THINK PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW A CHILD
MIGHT BE HUNGRY AS I DIDN'T EITHER.
WE STARTED ORIGINALLY THE FIRST YEAR WITH SCHOOLS OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS, MORE OF THE
RURAL SCHOOLS BECAUSE IN MY MIND THE SCHOOLS WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS HAD A LOT MORE RESOURCES.
I'VE SINCE LEARNED THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE.
THIS YEAR WE’VE ADDED WOODMORE AND WE’VE ADDED BARGER.
IT CONTINUES TO GROW.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR I THINK WE WERE AT SIX HUNDRED KIDS AND NOW WE'RE
OVER A THOUSAND, I WOULD EXPECT WE'LL TAKE ON SOME MORE SCHOOLS.
WE USUALLY HAVE AROUND 300 PEOPLE HERE IN THE EVENING TO PACK.
WE WILL HAVE PEOPLE WHO IN MANY CASES SOME OF THEM HAVE NEVER STEPPED INTO A CHURCH BUILDING
BUT THEY'LL COME TO HELP US BECAUSE WE'RE HELPING THE COMMUNITY.
WE SET UP AT TWO IN THE AFTERNOON ON WEDNESDAY AND WE MIGHT HAVE ANYWHERE FROM 30 TO 40 VOLUNTEERS
WHO HELP US TAKE IT OUT OF THE STOREROOM, GET IT TO THE TABLES, UNPACK IT. AND THEN
WE COME BACK AT 6:30 AND IT IS A MAD HOUSE.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE A TRICK OR TREAT BUT YOU'RE GOING DOWN THE LINE AND SOMEONE WILL PUT ONE
ITEM IN YOUR BAG, YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT PERSON, THEY'LL PUT ONE ITEM.
WE PROVIDE A BALANCED NUTRITIONAL OFFERING IN EACH BAG: LEAN PROTEIN, FRUIT, VEGETABLES,
ALL IN A FORM THAT LITTLE FINGERS CAN OPEN AND DON'T REQUIRE REALLY COOKING, MACARONI
AND CHEESE, A BEEF STEW, GRANOLA BARS, PEANUT BUTTER, CRACKERS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND WE'RE SITTING THERE TYING THE BAGS.
THEN, WE ALSO HAVE OUR PACKERS BACK THERE.
AND THEY GIVE THOSE OUT ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS THE CHILDREN ARE LEAVING FOR THE WEEKEND.
BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, US AND OUR PARTNER AGENCIES, WE SERVE 10,790 CHILDREN EVERY FRIDAY
FOR 32 WEEKS.
ODDS ARE, IF AN ORGANIZATION GIVES OUT FOOD AND MEETS OUR CRITERIA, THEY PROBABLY GET
THEIR FOOD FROM US.
WE CAN LEVERAGE OUR BUYING POWER.
I CAN TAKE ONE DOLLAR AND STRETCH THAT INTO FOUR MEALS.
IF WE'RE PACKING 4,000 BAGS, WE NEED 4,000 OF EACH ITEM SO IT'S BETTER FOR US TO TAKE
DONATIONS OF MONIES RATHER THAN DONATIONS OF FOOD.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT ANYTHING ELSE IN OUR COMMUNITY, PEOPLE COME TOGETHER WHEN THERE'S ANY KIND
OF CATASTROPHIC EVENT.
I THINK CHATTANOOGA'S KNOWN FOR THAT.
WHEN THERE'S A NEED, CHATTANOOGA COMES TOGETHER AND HELPS ONE ANOTHER AND THAT'S BEEN A GREAT
EXPERIENCE.
SO, I KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS WILLING TO HELP AND WORK BUT WHAT I'VE REALIZED ABOUT
FOOD INSECURITY IS THAT IT'S SILENT, IT'S UNSEEN, AND NOBODY REALLY KNOWS ABOUT IT UNLESS
YOU GET OUT THERE AND EDUCATE PEOPLE.
SPREAD AWARENESS, GET OUT THERE AND TELL PEOPLE IT’S RIGHT HERE IN OUR BACK YARD.
THE NEED IS HERE.
TEACHING PEOPLE THAT HUNGER IS HERE AND WHO THAT PERSON IS YOU'D BE SURPRISED.
THE THING THAT BREAKS MY HEART IS THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE KIDS OUT THERE WHO MAY
BE IN THE SAME SCHOOLS, WHO DOESN'T GET A BAG AND SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO A KID THAT DOES
GET A BAG AND HAS THE SAME STRUGGLES, HAS THE SAME NEEDS, HAS THE SAME WANTS.
I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THERE ARE KIDS OUT THERE WHO ARE HUNGRY THAT WE AREN'T REACHING.
GOD STARTED THIS FOR A REASON AND HE'S GOING TO HELP US ACHIEVE WHATEVER WE NEED.
WHEN WE STARTED THIS WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS GOING TO COST.
BUT I'M NOT AS CONCERNED ABOUT THE MONEY PART OF IT AS I AM THE FACT THAT I DON'T KNOW THAT
WE KNOW WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE YET.
AND FOR THE ONES THAT ARE LEFT TO FEND FOR THEIRSELF, THIS BLUE BAG IS JUST A LITTLE
SHINING LIGHT THAT SOMEONE CARES.
WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT, IF THEY’RE IN THAT SITUATION, THEY’RE PROBABLY NOT USED TO.
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