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Hunger Facts About Children |
Here are some concerning facts about hunger in the lives of our children from the website for Feeding America:
- According to the USDA, over 17 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2009. Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children, particularly for low-income children.
- 62 percent of all client households with children under the age of 18 participated in a school lunch program, but only 14 percent participated in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out.
- 15.5 million or approximately 20.7 percent of children in the U.S. live in poverty.
- Research indicates that even mild undernutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth impacts the behavior of children, their school performance, and their overall cognitive development.
- During the 2009 federal fiscal year, 19.5 million low-income children received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program.Unfortunately, just 2.2 million of these same income-eligible children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that same year.
(To read more, go to www.feedingamerica.org)
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Letter from Luzerne County Children and Youth |
April 6, 2011
Re: Fighting Childhood Hunger with Healthy Meals
Dear Mr. Tevet,
I would like to commend you on your pilot program. I personally think that this is a wonderful thing you are doing for the community. Your insight into this program is wonderful and I would like to make you aware that the families we are working with have reported to my staff that the meals have lessened the burden on the parent(s), the meals are delicious, and that your generous contribution has impacted the families in a positive manner. My team has also received positive feedback from school personnel stating the children over the past few weeks appear more happy and attentive in the classroom. I hope that your program is a success and has the means to grow.
Sincerely,
Joseph Kloss
Supervisor, LCCYS School-based program
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His program takes a bite out of hunger |
Article Featured in the Times Leader
Ollie’s owner started with free meals to 40 needy children. Feeding even more is his goal.
MATT HUGHES
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EDWARDSVILLE – David Tevet is doing his part to end childhood hunger in Luzerne County.
 Dave Tevet the owner of Ollie's restaurant in Edwardsville discusses a food program he has devised for needy children. AIMEE DILGER Photos/The Times Leader 4/14/2011Tevet, owner of Ollie’s, An American Restaurant, in Edwardsville, in mid-February started a pilot nonprofit program to deliver nutritionally balanced meals cooked at his restaurant to area children in need for free.
The Dinners for Kids program began with a group of 40 children referred by Luzerne County Children and Youth Services and administrators in the Wyoming Valley West School District, funding the program at a cost of about $400 per week from his own pocket and even delivering some meals himself.
Because he owns a restaurant and can order food wholesale, Tevet said he can reduce the production cost of meals to about $1.70 each, and by using volunteers to pack and deliver meals he can eliminate those costs as well.
That doesn’t mean he skimps on quality. Tevet consulted two nutritionists in designing balanced meals with fresh fruits and vegetables, and has collected feedback from children receiving meals to find out which dishes they like best.
“I treat the kids like my customers,” Tevet said. “I want them to like the food. If they don’t like the food we serve, they don’t eat it. If they’re not going to eat it, we didn’t achieve anything.”
Tevet has assembled a 17-member board of area community and religious leaders to guide the program and secure funding to keep it running. Once that happens, he hopes to expand, possibly getting other businesses, organizations and government bodies involved and adding an educational component.
“If people just see the value in it, it can be duplicated; it can be done everywhere,” Tevet said. “I don’t want to keep the program; I want to make it public domain.”
Funding needed
 Meals are assembled at Ollie's restaurant in Edwardsville by volunteers to be then distributed to needy area children. Those pictured are (L-R) Ollie's owner Dave Tevet, Ann Januszewski and Peg Hogan both of All Saints Parrish in Plymouth. (PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER)Luzerne County Children and Youth Services already has 20 more children lined up for the program, director Frank Castano said, but securing long-term funding for the program is crucial.
The board will seek funding from a combination of state and federal grants, corporate endorsements, foundation grants, and donations from social clubs and individuals, Tevet said.
Tevet had the idea for the program after seeing a public service announcement by the Commission on Economic Opportunity on television. He learned President Barack Obama started an initiative to end childhood hunger by 2015, and consulted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommendations on ways to fight the problem.
But he said he found the recommendations too broad, systematic and political.
“I said to myself, there is a solution,” Tevet said. “If I give the kid a complete meal, a nutritious meal, it will solve the problem.”
He also found that while schools offer free lunches to children from low-income families, fewer programs offer meals on the 200 days a year schools aren’t in session, and almost none provided meals for children to their homes with parents.
 Ollie’s restaurant owner Dave Tevet helps volunteers from All Saints Parish in Plymouth assemble prepared meals for area needy children on Friday. Others pictured (clockwise from right): Josephine Madura of Hanover Township, Tevet, Dolores Prutzman of Hanover Township, and Ann Januszewski and Peg Hogan, both from Plymouth.Joe DeVizia, director of the county’s Office of Human Services and chair of the program’s board, said the program provides a service area children need.
“The important thing is, kids were identified who are hungry; they just weren’t getting supper and it was noticeable,” DeVizia said.
According to the Luzerne County Commission on Economic Opportunity, more than 10,500 children in Luzerne County are food insecure.
The program is already making a difference.
Tevet said he expected the program would help improve the health of the children it serves as well as their performance in school, but he said it has had benefits beyond his expectations.
Parents appreciative
He provided The Times Leader with copies of letters from parents and relatives of children in the program with the authors’ names redacted.
“I am a full-time student and work a full-time job,” one parent wrote. “This opportunity has given my family and I more time together.”
“The little ones try different foods now,” wrote the aunt of several children receiving meals from the program. “They all have a very good understanding of what a well-balanced meal can do for them. They are sleeping better. They also go to school and pay better attention in class.”
“You know the phrase, it takes a village to raise a child? Well in my book that’s absolutely correct,” added Castano, director of Luzerne County Children and Youth Services. “The more community resources we can bring in to provide a service, the better off we are.”
How to help
 Joe DeVizia of county Human Services and Frank Castano of Children and Youth Services listen to Dave Tevet, owner of Ollie’s restaurant, discuss a food program he has devised for needy children. Pete g. wilcox/the times leaderDonations to the Dinner for Kids program can be mailed to Dinners for Kids, c/o CEO, P.O. Box 1127, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703.
For more information, contact: David Tevet, Ollie’s restaurant, 84 S. Wyoming Ave., Edwardsville, PA 18704, 570-288-6609.
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Hungry Bellies Hold Back Children from Their Potential |
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Hunger is a silent enemy that robs children of their ability to focus, learn and grow. Across the United States, more than 17 million kids in America are at risk of hunger. That’s nearly 1 in 4.
Dave Tevet, owner of Ollie's Restaurant in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, was so moved by the hungry children he saw in his neighborhood that he decided to do something about it. With access to wholesale food distributors through his business and the commercial facilities to prepare meals on a large scale, Dave launched Dinners for Kids.
Dinners for Kids provides freshly prepared, balanced and nutritious dinners for needy children. The meals are packaged in microwave-safe containers so they can easily be reheated and served. Each meal includes fresh fruit and dessert. Each child receives six meals per week, year around.
The cost of providing a complete meal is under $1.70 or $10 per week.
Although there are between 10 and 17 million hungry children in America, there are no dinner meal programs. Needy families get food stamps (SNAP) and free groceries from food pantries. Despite all of these programs, too many kids continue to be hungry as a result of parental job loss and financial hardship, familial physical and mental health problems and a whole host of other reasons. Please consider a donation to Dinners for Kids to allow this program to continue and to reach even more children who need our help.
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