You may be aware of the term “food insecurity,” but are you aware of what it means? We never were until this past October when we were introduced to the wonderful group of people known as Feeding Our Kids. They were having a donation drive sponsored by the Illini Radio Group. We dropped by to see what they were all about and were treated to a very inspiring story.
Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. The reasons for this are many, but most often food insecurity occurs in households with a lack of proper financial resources. Food insecurity is a household situation–not an individual situation. Many times, children in food insecure households are shielded from knowing about their situation by their caregivers. But they are nonetheless faced by the threat of hunger.
Started by local moms Jenelle Keene and Ann Kirkland, Feeding Our Kids was inspired by a kindergarten field trip. One of the students on the field trip asked if she could take her field trip lunch home with her to share with her little sister. Even though this girl’s family–like many families–was receiving food assistance, there wasn’t always enough food to go around.
There are many food insecure families in our community. Working through local schools, Feeding Our Kids helps by confidentially providing additional snacks and other nutritious food to children in these families.
In order to help them get their word out, we volunteered to rebuild their website to serve as a communications portal, be attractive to visitors, and to be search-engine ready. We also cleaned up their logo–which had been designed by one of their husbands–in order to make it easier to identify.
If you’re able, we ask that you visit their site, feedingourkids.org, and consider donating money, time, or both to their cause. Hunger is a community problem and deserves a community wide solution. By supporting Feeding Our Kids, you can can help make a real impact in our community.
