Everyone knows that people in Africa don’t have access to sufficient food, but what about the people in your neighborhood? In the United States, one in seven people struggles with hunger.
According to FeedingAmerica.org, in 2014, 48.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 32.8 million adults and 15.3 million children. A person that is food insecure is lacking reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Nebraska had the second lowest unemployment rate with 3.3 percent. Adams County has 31,367 people with a food insecure rate of 12.1 percent.
That means 3,810 people in Adams county alone don’t have access to healthy food.
“Hastings High has 60 percent free or reduced lunch. The middle school does something similar for kids on the weekends. So, every week we will send out a survey to see how many people we will be expecting approximately,” coordinator Carla Hedstrom said.
Whether you notice it or not, without the assistance of government funded and school-provided breakfast and lunch, kids often go hungry in America, in Hastings, and at our school. What are these students suppose to do on the weekends when there is no school? No school means no food. Well, to help diminish this issue, some faculty member have decided to start a school food pantry.
Nicole Gengenbach and Amy Swayze went to Ralston High school to look at their food pantry to help come up with a template for Hastings High. The pantry will be located on the lower landing of the main stairs, formerly room 23 and will be open on the last day of the school week. There will be food, hygiene products, and school supplies.
The point of the HHS Food Pantry is to promote self-advocacy and independence and to help address nutrition issues that are not met by school breakfast and lunches.
“We are working with the Hastings City food bank so we will let them know what we need and they will help us out. We are trying to figure out how to replenish our stock but as of right now, our food bank is looking pretty good,” coordinator Katie Funkey said.
