Food Pantry Ideas & Resources

The hard truth is that in 2011, 31 million U.S. children qualified for free or reduced lunch through the National School Lunch Program, and 22% of U.S. children lived in poverty. Proper nutrition is so vital to children under 18, as their bodies and brains are developing and growing. Undernourishment at these ages can have lifelong effects. Offering an additional source of food to students (from snacks to family dinners), along with educating them on healthy eating, can help support proper development, reduce stress and promote well-being so that students can better succeed in education and in life.

Properly nourished students attend school more regularly, and they perform better in the classroom. The church, as supportive partners, can help schools meet their education goals through helping the student body maintain proper nutrition. In this way, meeting a child's most basic need for food can have long-lasting and far-reaching effects.