Feeding The Children
In the book of Matthew, Jesus is teaching and people begin bringing children to Him. The disciples couldn't believe people were doing this. How dare they interrupt Jesus while He is teaching! But, Jesus rebuked the disciples. He said in Matthew 19:14, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Jesus cared for children. He knew how important they are to the kingdom. One way we as believers can show the children of our community how much God loves them is by providing them with food. As a former teacher myself, I can attest to how little gets accomplished when a child is hungry. They cannot focus, they cannot learn, and they will behave in inappropriate ways. If their physical needs are not met first, it is hard to meet spiritual or emotional needs. Feed the children and then tell them Jesus loves them. A meal filled with love just might change a life for the better.
When we were told that the public schools would not start back after Spring Break in March, I immediately thought about all of the children who depend on their school cafeteria for food. Food insecurity in the United States is a serious issue. Food insecurity is described as a household's inability to provide adequate food for all the people in it to live a healthy and active lifestyle due to a lack of financial or other resources. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2018, 14.3 million households in the United States struggled with food insecurity at some point in the year. The USDA also says that 6 million children live in those homes struggling with food insecurity.
Here in Mississippi, we have a food insecurity rate that is above the national average. According to Mississippi Today, in 2018, Mississippi earned the title "The Hungriest State" for the eighth year in a row. Approximately 20% of Mississippi residents (that's 600,000 people) had limited access to meals that year. To put this into perspective, Jefferson County has a food-insecure rate of 36% (the Delta counties have some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation). The national average is 13%. That is a staggering gap. Hunger is clearly a large issue in our state.
Here in Oktibbeha County, we have an average food-insecurity rate of 20%. In our schools alone, 70% of children qualify for free or reduced meals. According to the Mississippi Department of Education's website, in order to qualify for free meals, a family of four must earn less than $33,475. In order to qualify for reduced meals, a family of four must earn less than $47,638. That means that 70% of the children in our county live in homes that make that or less. Food insecurity is all around us. It may affect you or your neighbor.
So, when the schools shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our district set about forming a plan to feed the children of our community. I chatted with Ginny Hill, a member of First Baptist and the Child Nutrition Director for Starkville Consolidated School District, about this. She is a registered dietician and is in charge of all the cafeterias in the district. She consulted with the administrators in the district and they all agreed that meals needed to be provided for the children.
The district superintendent, Dr. Eddie Peasant, and many others came up with the plan to use the school buses. They coordinated with the district transportation department to load the buses up with food and deliver it along the bus routes. The bus drivers were valuable resources to the administrators and Ginny during this time; they knew the children in our community, what kinds of homes they live in, how many children are in each household, and who had the most need. A video released by Mississippi State features a few of these drivers. They are seen driving up to homes and honking their horns as smiling faces run out to grab their food sacks — even calling out to the volunteers for more food because they knew more children lived in those homes.
I asked Ginny what some of the challenges they faced were. She specifically mentioned the large size of our school district. Due to the consolidation, our district consists of the entirety of Oktibbeha County – from Clayton Village to Sturgis. That is a lot of area to cover! But Ginny and the leaders in our school district did not let that stop them. They have banded together along with many, many volunteers to make sure the children of our county are fed. I saw pictures online of principals, teachers, librarians, and others loading up coolers, packing food sacks, and handing out those sacks to smiling children. Cafeteria workers were considered essential, so they were able to continue working through the shut-down period. They are the ones who lovingly prepare the food and are the hard-working hands behind this whole production.
Another challenge was the quality of food. Funding for this comes from a program through the United States Department of Agriculture, more specifically, their Summer Feeding Program. Due to this, there were certain guidelines that had to be met. Food had to be safe cold and all food groups had to be represented. The USDA's goal is to ensure that nutritional needs are being met through the foods provided. So Ginny set about putting together menus for these meals that the kids would enjoy, but would also meet the requirements. She also wanted food that could be repurposed if not eaten right away, like carrots, apples, and many other fresh options.
Not only has Ginny and the district received help from government programs, but members of the local community have stepped up and given of their time and resources. Walmart and Vowell's donated plastic sacks so the food could be safely packed up. They also donated snacks a few times for volunteers. Wes Gordon, another member of First Baptist, grilled for the volunteers a couple of times, and the Junior Auxiliary provided box lunches as well.
Even though the buses are no longer running the food to individual homes, children and their families can now go to specific locations in the community to find meals. A list of these pick-up locations can be found on the district's COVID-19 information site here. These meals are for any and all children ages 0-18. They do not have to be a registered student of the district in order to receive a meal. So be sure to tell those around you that they can receive free and nutritious food for their children at any of the locations listed.
Ginny Hill says that even though this endeavor was challenging in the beginning, she has been blessed abundantly by all of it. She says, "My favorite part of all this is handing out a meal and seeing all the smiling faces. Seeing so many people of this community come together to help has been a blessing too. I have also enjoyed working with so many admins in the district and getting to know those with whom I never cross paths. Amanda Tullos, for example, works in the central office. She and I worked together to help coordinate with the transportation department and get the deliveries done. I enjoyed working with her." As members of First Baptist and members of the body of Christ, Ginny and others have gone out into the world to shine the light of Christ to those in need. During this time of COVID-19, people are struggling. Providing meals through the district is just one way that we as believers can help those around us. Thank you to Ginny Hill and the countless others who have coordinated, given, and donated to make this possible.
Food insecurity resources: