Cheers for Peanut Butter and Jelly
Posted by Maggie Reinsvold on Wednesday, August 11, 2010
On a day earlier this summer—one full of hail, tornado alarms, blustering wind and down pouring rain—about thirty kids from the small, rural town of Wiggins, CO gathered in the local fire hall. Nothing, not even crazy weather, would stop these kids from kicking off their summer of fun activities and now for the first time, free lunch.
Wiggins resident Jodi Walker and non-profit The Production Company (TPC) are behind this success. A mother and active member of the Wiggins community, Jodi is all too familiar with the need for youth activities and meals for children in the community. Three years ago, Walker gathered with a number of other members of the community and founded The Production Company to offer inspiring afterschool and summer activities for children of all ages in Wiggins. Nearly 1 in 7 children in Morgan County, where Wiggins is located, is living in poverty according to a 2010 report compiled by The Children’s Campaign.
As Jodie shared, “I find it frightening that we have this much of a need in such a small community but I am also finding that people out here don’t ask for help, they live without - which is fine until it comes to feeding your kids!”
Until now, all that Jodi and TPC could offer the nearly 60 children who participate with the program was a single tortilla with peanut butter or a slice of cheese. This past year TPC reached out to Hunger Free Colorado, partner of Colorado Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, to provide free summer meals for the children in the community. Hunger Free Colorado worked with the Food Bank of the Rockies to get daily lunches to the participants of TPC starting in June 2010.
At the kick-off event, Jodi proudly shared stories of her kids’ success. Local representatives from both Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and Representative Betsy Markey’s offices shared in the fun as Jodi presented to the kids the packaged lunches they would be enjoying this summer.
The children listened excitedly while they learned about their new meals for the summer which would vary for each day but included things like 1% milk, goldfish crackers, peanut butter and jelly (which was met with especially loud cheers), and a number of other nutritious foods within USDA’s nutrition standards. This presentation, which included the reading of a congratulatory letter by Senator Bennet, was followed by a barbecue and games for the kids.
The Colorado Campaign to End Childhood Hunger set a goal of increasing the number of children who receive a summer meal in 2010 by 10,000 children. This improvement is due in large part to determination and creativity of sites and people like The Production Company and Jodi Walker.
August 11, 2010 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: colorado, no kid hungry, summer meals
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