I am writing to respond to the article “Helping Our Hidden Hungry in Fayette” published Wednesday, June 29, 2016.
I am thankful three area Catholic churches deliver summer lunches to children who are in need in our county. However, has anyone thought about how these children eat during school year weekends? Please ponder the thoughts and questions posed on food2kids.org’s website:
“Imagine coming home on Friday afternoon and not being able to find a snack. What if your mom and dad worked weekends and no one was home to prepare your meals? Imagine no running water, no electricity, and no ability to eat a full meal for the entire week end. Monday morning, would you be able to think about anything but food?”
When I taught in Texas, the students who had been identified as in need by a teacher or identified through the free or reduced cost meal program discreetly received a supplemental bag of food for the weekend. The bag was provided by an organization like the Food 2 Kids organization.
Some of the students said that this was the only food they had to eat during the weekend, and further, they said that they shared it with other family members. In addition to the lunch program provided by area churches, if we added a program like this in our community, it would eliminate our students being hungry year round.
Lastly, I would like to thank Mr. Velsmid for informing our citizens about their program and the hidden hungry. I, too, hope my missive stimulates some constructive action to form an organization similar to Food 2 Kids so we can eliminate student hunger in Fayette County.
Melissa Puckett
Peachtree City, Ga.
