Our Charitable Partner FOCUS North America continually amazes us with their work across the nation. Over the next few months Renovation Angel will be spotlighting various programs that FOCUS offers, and delve a little deeper into how FOCUS accomplishes so much with so little every day.
Food Insecurity
Over 49 million people in the United States struggle with hunger because they do not have regular access to nutritious and affordable food. 15 million of these people are children, who are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of food insecurity.
Most of these children come from middle-class or working-poor families – families who struggle to make ends meet. Each month these families are faced with a difficult decision: pay the rent or buy groceries.
And in this situation, paying the rent always wins — because it is easier to be hungry than homeless.
Good nutrition is vital to childhood development and is important in establishing a foundation for “future physical and mental health, academic achievement, and economic productivity” (Feeding America). Child hunger increases during summer months, when students who often rely on free and reduced lunch programs suddenly find themselves missing one or two main meals a day.
FOCUS and Food
Across the nation, FOCUS combats hunger, serving meals three times a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. In 2014 FOCUS North America was invited to the White House and heralded as a “Feeding Champion” because of their extensive work in providing meals and supplemental groceries to disadvantaged families and individuals. The White House also challenged FOCUS to expand their feeding programs nationwide and to target children, who through no fault of their own, often go hungry during the summer months.
2017 Summer Feeding Program
This summer, through the FOCUS Summer Feeding Program, they will serve 46,000 meals to children in Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, Detroit, and Orange County, California. Each meal will provide children with the balanced nutrition that they need for a happy, healthy summer.
To learn more about FOCUS North America’s programs please visit their website HERE.
You can also DONATE to this amazing program today!
