The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Food campaign continues to evolve
End 68 Hours of Hunger provides food for students during weekend
Weekends can seem short for school students, but if they’re hungry with nothing to eat those days can feel much longer.
That sentiment regarding food insecurity is not only shared by End 68 Hours of Hunger Lake County, but serves as the focal point for the private not-for-profit.
The organization actively confronts the (about) 68 hours of hunger some children experience between the free lunch they receive in school on Friday and the free breakfast they receive on Monday.
Program Coordinators Meredith Everett and Tracy Stanek agree the mission to “end childhood hunger, one school at a time,” especially with the organization’s current “Spread the Love, Share a Can” campaign, is becoming more and more a reality through the continued efforts of the entire Lake County community.
“Our donations tend to drop at this time of year, but we’re running a large (backpack) campaign right now that seems to be exciting to the community and our numbers continue to increase,” Stanek said. “We’ve had multiple items dropped off the past few days and as recent as today (Feb. 27). The support of the community has been phenomenal.”
On March 6, donations for “Spread the Love, Share a Can” can be dropped off at End 68 Lake County’s site at 1223 Mentor Ave. in Painesville.
Donations can include canned tuna or chicken; canned fruit and veggies; canned soup (the hearty kind); boxes of mac n cheese; toaster pantries; peanut butter; jelly; cereal; crackers; snack items (granola bars); instant oatmeal; and individual snack size cookies.
On Feb. 28 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the community is invited to attend an evening packing event where bags will be prepared for delivery. The organization requests RSVP through its Facebook page.
Stanek and Everett have been involved with End 68 Lake County since its inception three years ago. In that time, the duo has seen the organization’s service evolve from one school to multiple districts.
“We now serve Mentor, Wickliffe and WilloughbyEastlake,” Stanek said. “Eventually we look to expand to other districts, but we are now feeding 301 children weekly. It keeps increasing. We started with one child years ago. In November of 2015, we were feeding 125. The need is real and we’ve been fortunate to be a part of it.”
The program strictly serves Lake County and feeds all kids in the house, with 100 percent of donations reserved for food, Everett said.
“Every child gets their own bag which provides three dinners, two lunches, two breakfasts and snacks. The donations have been great, and we only ask for people to bring nonperishable items.
“We do occasionally receive items that we can’t use that we store in our family pantry,” Everett said, adding that the onsite location uses a portion of its space to store the items where once a month parents can come “shop” for them.
The program costs nothing for families or schools. It feeds kindergarten through grade 12 and some day care. It’s also anonymous,
though the coordinators have experienced some onsite pickups.
“We don’t know who the children are,” Everett said. “But they do have to qualify through their school and the free lunch program. We do it because they love it and because there is a true need here. We’re filling a gap. How does a child concentrate, study when they are hungry?”
The average cost of feeding a child per weekend in about $11, the coordinators said.
“At times we get donations designating use for office supplies, stamps, printer ink and such, so
those (monetary donations) we use for those specific items, but we don’t seek those,” Stanek said. “It’s all about feeding the kids. We have no advertising or marketing budget whatsoever and we receive no pay. In fact, the organization receives no funding — we depend on the community for support. Our space is graciously donated by Lake Health. We do this because we’re passionate about it.”
Everett said social media has been a huge drive in the organization’s efforts reaching out to new volunteers and accessing other organizations in the community.
The organization actively confronts the (about) 68 hours of hunger some children experience between the free lunch they receive in school on Friday and the free breakfast they receive on Monday.
“We would love sponsorship in some way eventually, would love that balance, but the support we’ve seen in three years has been great. It really does take a village, that’s not a cliché. It’s why we continue to be successful.
“And our team of volunteers consists of moms, teachers and even a landscaping company, JLC in Mentor,” she said. “Owner Jeff Cerney has been great facilitating with loading and unloading trucks and weekly deliveries. The entire experience has been awesome.”
Volunteer Executive Director Claire Bloom started E68 at a book club meeting when she heard there were hungry kids at her grandchildren’s school.
“That (meeting) was 2010 in New Hampshire. Just like the Lake County program, all volunteer program coordinators have to raise their own funds to buy food to feed their local children. I just get them started with shelving and bins and the first $1,000 in their account,” Bloom said.
“We are (currently) in eight states with 41 programs and feed 2,500 children each week, and Lake County is our largest program by far, feeding 300 children weekly with a weekly budget of $3,000. The organization has just grown hugely. I could not be more honored by seeing my vision come to life.”