Weekends without Hunger returns for ninth year

"Weekends without Hunger…Feeding our Future" will begin its weekend food distribution on Friday, Oct. 15, marking its ninth year of operation in our Norwalk schools. "Our committee members are in the process of creating a community fundraising campaign to 'feed a child' for $100 per year to support this initiative," organizer Judy Sommers said. "We believe this concept will resonate with the public and provide a credible and achievable source of funding from both private individuals and area businesses." Parents of elementary students will be receiving a letter explaining the Weekends without Hunger program which is free to financially-eligible children. Parents must sign the form and return it to their child's school in order for their child to qualify to receive the food each week. Parents can also go on the Norwalk City Schools website, wwwnorwalktruckers.net to register on-line. A committee of dedicated community members, initially organized by former Norwalk City Schools Superintendent Virginia Poling, plans to continue to address the hunger needs of eligible kindergarten through sixth grade students in both the Norwalk Catholic and Norwalk City schools during the 2021-22 school year. A select group of dedicated volunteers distribute the bags of food which go out to the students who have been registered on Fridays during the school year. All of the food items are purchased through Second Harvest Food Bank. The cost to provide 12 items of healthy food for each child for the weekends during the school year has risen to slightly more than $100 per child. The money donated for this ninth year of operation goes entirely to pay for the food and transportation from Second Harvest. All other costs of this program have been in-kind donations. The Salvation Army provides a similar program during the summer months, and Weekends without Hunger continues to seek to bridge the two programs to ensure childhood hunger is addressed year-round in our community. As a non-profit organization Fisher-Titus Foundation serves as a fiscal agent for the program. "They believe this program addresses a true community need as identified in the Huron County Community Health Assessment," Sommers said. "They fully support the mission of the "Weekends without Hunger…Feeding our Future" initiative which is to ensure that Norwalk's elementary students who qualify for free or reduced fee meals are fed on the weekends throughout the school year. For further information about Weekends without Hunger please contact Sommers at csommers1@neo.rr.com, or Reta Stark at jrstark@neo.rr.com. Community members wishing to make a donation should make checks payable to Weekends without Hunger, Box 914, Norwalk.