Long Island school partners with No Kid Hungry New York, Island Harvest Food Bank to help food insecure students
FREEPORT, N.Y. -- With the high cost of food making it difficult for some Long Island families to afford groceries, the Freeport school district started a unique partnership to help hungry students.
No Kid Hungry New York is working to end childhood hunger at Archer Street School.
"It's not just feeding their stomachs. We're feeding them so that they have the ability to think," said Principal Paula Lein.
Island Harvest Food Bank is supplementing free school breakfast and lunch with fresh fruits and vegetables.
"There's enough food in our country to help feed everybody. We just need to figure out how to make those connections," said Island Harvest President and CEO Randi Shubin Dresner.
Approximately 60,000 children in Long Island schools don't get enough to eat.
Some parents told social workers there's a stigma admitting food insecurity, but there should be no shame associated with asking for help to feed their children.
Advocates are now connecting families in need with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
"For every dollar of SNAP that a family receives, that generally is about $1.50, $1.60 going back into the local economy," said Stephanie Wu Winter, with No Kid Hungry New York.
Some children say sharing struggles is healing.
"To all the kids and families around the world who can't afford to buy the food that they need," said 4th grader Lillian Myers.
These young minds want to be part of the solution.
