July 30, 2009
Stowe Reporter

Hunger doesn't take a vacation
Written by Nathan Burgess

School is out for summer and once again sidewalks are echoing with the sounds of little sneakers. But for many children the end-of-the-year dismissal bell also marks the end of federally funded free breakfast and lunch programs. That means parents who rely on these programs to help feed their children are faced with a greater struggle to make ends meet.

“The summer is an extremely difficult time, especially this summer,” said Dorigen Keeney, director of public policy and research at the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. “We’ve heard from daycare centers that a lot of kids are coming in who may not have had anything to eat all weekend.”

Helping to feed needy children in the summer is what a group at the Waterbury Congregational Church has been working hard to do since 2005. The church offers a free summer lunch program that feeds hungry children at Thatcher Brook Primary School.

“Our focus is on filling the gap between the school years,” said Sandy Lewis, one of the program’s organizers.

This summer the volunteers have a lot of work to do. Unemployment in the Waterbury area in June was 7.1 percent, up from 4.4 percent this time last year. State analysts have predicted the number could top 9 percent by 2010. Those cuts are trimming family grocery budgets, said Peter Plagge, the pastor at the Waterbury Congregational Church.

“I talked to one guy whose three boys were eating him out of house and home,” Plagge said. “I think people need a resource like this.”

There’s no question they do.

Of the 29,000 children who qualify for school year programs in Vermont, only about 4,600 have access to adequate food during the summer months, according to the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. Not surprisingly, local food shelves see an influx of demand once kids get out of school, especially this year.

The Waterbury program is able to feed about 60 children per week, thanks to a grant from the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, funding from the Vermont chapter of the United Church of Christ, and private donors. Most of the children, about 50, are already at the school courtesy of a federally funded summer tutoring program at Thatcher Brook. The rest can pick up the lunches at the school’s playground.

On the menu at Thatcher Brook are healthy lunches that normally include sandwiches on wheat bread, fruit, juice, and vegetables. The nutrition component is important, Lewis said, because although many kids in tough situations still get fed, a lot of parents can only afford boxed, processed food with little or no nutritional value.

“It’s as much about getting them the right kind of food as it is just getting them food,” Lewis said.

Children who don’t get enough nutrients will have difficulty focusing and problem solving, and are more likely to get sick because their immune system is less effective, Keeney said.

“The problem is that cheap food has plenty of calories, but no nutrients,” she said. As a result, obesity is another problem low-income youth face.

Barbara Tomasi-Gay, assistant principal at Thatcher Brook, is very thankful for the help.

“I’m so glad they were able to do this,” she said. “The kids seemed genuinely happy with the good food.”

The tutoring program ends July 30, but pastor Peter Plagge plans to extend the lunch program to August 13.

“Our philosophy is that if we can help just one family it’s worth it,” he said.

Anyone interested in making a donation to the program can send a check to Waterbury Congregational Church, 8 North Main St., Waterbury. Please note with the donation that the money is for the food program.

Reproduced with permission from the Stowe Reporter.

Return to the Newsroom