Mobile Food Bank Serves Families All Summer
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Aurora Public Schools and Food Bank of the Rockies launched summer programs for families in need on Tuesday to keep children and their parents eating healthy while school is out and making sure they keep up healthy habits ahead of the new school year in August.
"I was in need of some food and my friend told me what was going on down here and I came down here to check it out," said Lashanda Jarnigan, an Aurora resident and mother of six children. "All the things that you really need."
The school district will provide breakfast and lunch to students all summer at a variety of locations. The district estimates it will serve 11,000 breakfasts and 33,000 lunches in that time.
"When school is not in, they don't have access to the nutrition that they do during the regular school year," explained Stacey Bennett, special programs coordinator for nutritional services in the district. "It's important to keep them well nutritious during the summer so they're ready to learn when they come back in August."
But it not just the students who need those meals all year. Adults often are struggling during this season, just one major bill away from a financial emergency. Alongside the district handing out meals at Hinkley High School, the food bank had a mobile food pantry to give families groceries to last them more than a week. It's a service the food bank provides 48 times each month.
"There's no cost for these meals, we want families to know they're available," said Janie Gianotsos, director of marketing and community relations for the food bank. "People don't realize that summer is a difficult time for many families."
Daycare alone can be an added expense for these families that sets them back and if they cannot access free meals that are usually offered in school, the cost adds up. The food bank tells people to come with "self-declared need" because they do not ask for proof of your financial situation.
Jarnigan explained she found herself in a tight squeeze from one payment to the next and greatly appreciated a food bank so close to her home.
"[It makes a] lot of difference because right now I'm in between money, first of the month is coming up, it's the end of the month," she said.
One in six Colorado children don't know where they will find their next meal, according to the school district. Both programs hope to prevent that by providing multiple locations at different times to feed anyone in need.
"We really want families to know it's OK to get help, if people are in need, that's why Food Bank of the Rockies is here."
Jarnigan says as a resident living in Aurora for 20 years, she was grateful for this opportunity and encourages others to take advantage of future events.
"With my kids this is awesome to have," she said. "It was amazing, like I said, I've never seen anything like it."
Aurora Public Schools: https://aurorak12.org/summer-food-service/
Food Bank of the Rockies: https://www.foodbankrockies.org/