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One in five children in Utah suffers from hunger, especially over the weekends when school and other programs are not available to feed them. The KidsEat! Foundation provides a backpack program for children attending the Neighborhood House and Salt Lake Valley Boys & Girls Clubs during the weekdays, and go home to a lack of food on the weekends. Staff at these facilities identify at-risk children and KidsEat! helps to supply their nutritional needs. Each backpack contains enough food for seven meals, with items like soup, peanut butter, canned fruit and vegetables, and shelf-stable milk. This assortment of healthy food will sustain them through the weekend. Children need nutrition to grow and think, to be able to do homework, and to succeed at school and home. KidsEat! addresses the need of food insecurity of children and provides as many backpacks as possible, but the need is critical and there is always a wait list for the program. September is hunger action month, so whether it’s by raising awareness, making donations, or volunteering, we all can make a difference to solve hunger. SelectHealth recognizes the lasting impact of the KidsEat! Foundation as another example of how Utah Gives Back.
