Some Alachua County kids go hungry when school's out for holiday break. You can help them.
Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) is currently accepting donations from the community for its annual Holiday Food Drive.
The goal of the district’s food drive is to provide boxes to families in the district whose children usually rely on free meal programs at school. It provided about 900 families with boxes of food last year, and organizer Kelley Kostamo said they usually aim for more — around 1,000 — each year.
“I wouldn't have known that there was a need, but I was actually at a school on the Monday after winter break and I was like, Oh my gosh, the kids are so quiet,’ and the principal said: ‘That's because they're so hungry,’ ” Kostamo said. “I felt obligated to help join this effort to try to cover some of the need. I recognize we're not covering everyone who might have need, but we're covering as many as we can.”
The district aims to provide families whose children are enrolled in the free meals program with boxes of similar food items such as rice, beans, dessert items, and canned fruit, vegetables, tuna and chicken, to make regular meals during the 18-day winter break.
Depending on what’s donated, they also try to include extras such as stuffing mix and instant potatoes for families to add to their holiday meal. Although it’s not enough to last the whole break depending on the size of the family, Kostamo said they try to give items that will last for a couple meals or several days.
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“I think every program does its best to lift up people as best they can,” she said. “I think not having enough to eat — it certainly makes me feel uncomfortable that there are families that don't have enough to eat, and I don't want for anyone to struggle. So, we're just doing what we can to make a difference.”
The average Holiday Drive box, which usually includes a $10 gift card, typically costs around $50 to make. A list of food items needed can be found at www.sbac.edu/foodbox.
Any food left over from the Holiday Food Drive is distributed to students through a backpack program that gives students a bag filled with groceries for families to use over the weekends. The program in Alachua County schools is primarily facilitated by Food4Kids, Kostamo said, but a few additional backpack programs serve the county as well.
Donations
Monetary donations allow the district to purchase food items at a bulk discount and can be made at www.edfoundationac.org by clicking the Donate button or at www.bit.ly/WBFD. For both, choose "Emergency Food/Food Baskets" on the drop-drown menu. Checks can be made out to The Education Foundation of Alachua County and mailed to 2802 NE 8th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32641.
Food donations must be given by Dec. 14 and monetary donations by Dec. 15 to contribute to this year’s project. Food boxes will be delivered to schools Dec. 18 to be distributed before winter break, and general food and monetary donations are still accepted year-round and saved for the next year’s drive or emergency food needs.
Dropoff locations and times:
Lincoln Middle School, 1001 SE 12th St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Littlewood Elementary School, 812 NW 34th St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The District Office, 620 E. University Ave., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Arrangements can be made for donations to be picked up by contacting Kostamo at kostamkb@gm.sbac.edu or (352) 955-7250, ext. 6411.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: No more hungry kids: School district organizes Holiday Food Drive
