As the summer months approach, students in Bellevue are preparing for a much anticipated break from school. While summer equals freedom for many, it also means going hungry for others.
Approximately 17.7 percent of students in the Bellevue School District are enrolled in the free or reduced-fee breakfast and lunch program, providing them with much needed food and nourishment during the school year.
Come summer, the thousands of kids and their families turn to the local food banks for help. As a Community Action Agency, Hopelink works to provide the additional food and services to the community needed during the summer months.
Hopelink has six emergency service centers in North and East King County, each including a food bank and access to all Hopelink-related programs.
“There has been an increased demand at all of the food banks because of the economic climate and the numbers will continue to spike as summer rolls around,” said Hopelink’s Communications Manager Glen Miller.
Hopelink has launched End Summer Hunger, a grassroots campaign that provides food for kids in North and East King County. Hopelink is asking schools, businesses, and individuals to organize and host food or coin drives throughout the summer months.
Last year, students at 62 schools raised more than $50,000 through coin drives to help their fellow classmates and 67 businesses raised $95,000 in cash and in-kind donations to support the families whose children benefit from the End Summer Hunger campaign.
End Summer Hunger aims to raise awareness about the needs in the community and to provide the necessary food and basic-care items needed on a day-to-day basis.
In addition to regular hours of operation at the emergency service centers, Hopelink stocks emergency food bags containing enough food to tide over two people for two days. Each bag typically contains items such as oatmeal, cans of soup and chili, rice, tuna, vegetables, granola bars and crackers. The emergency food bags provide a temporary solution until the food bank re-opens.
The economic downturn has resulted in a rise in the number of requests for emergency food bags. Hopelink distributed 40 percent more emergency food bags to clients between September and December of 2008 than in 2007.
“Our hope is that people will become aware of the hunger problem facing our community and recognize that any donation, no matter how big or small, will make a difference,” Miller said.
According to Miller, organizing a food drive is not the only way to help.
“When people donate on our Web site, the money is stretched to purchase food and supplies because of Hopelink’s buying power. It doesn’t matter how you give back, it’s just important that the community takes action to help one another,” he explained.
To find out more information about the End Summer Hunger Campaign or to donate, visit www.hope-link.org or call Eric Thom at 425.558.5910. The Bellevue-based Hopelink Emergency Service Center is located at 14812 Main St., 425.943.7555.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.
