Students Face Hunger Crisis

Rochester students are facing a hunger crisis.

With cares act money, channel one regional food bank is expanding its childhood hunger programs to help address the food gap in the community.

Learning tour.

Rochester students are facing a hunger crisis.

With cares act money ?

"* channel one regional food bank is expanding its childhood hunger programs to help address the food gap in the community.

Kimt news 3's annalise johnson joins us live to explain how the program works.

Annalise?

Amy ?

"* some rps students are learning virtually full time.

And the elementary students ?

*- like those here at sunset terrace elementary only learn in person twice a week.

This impacts their access to meals at school.

Roughly a third of rps students rely on free or reduced breakfasts and lunches at school ?

"* and before the pandemic 12?

"* hundred students took home food for the weekend.

The covid?

"*19 pandemc has created the largest economic downturn since the great depression ?

"* introduced challenges for the public school system ?

"* and increased demands on the food bank.

Virginia merritt ?

"* executive director of the channel one regional food bank explains channel one needed to find a way to feed kids over the weekend ?

"* and on days they're not learning in person.

Channel and local pa rtners are using state funding and cares act money to increase the accessibility and the amount of food sent home with students who need it and have no other way to access it.

Food from the food shelf will be delivered to the homes of students and their families.

The economic downturn the greatest one since the depression combined with kids not being in school to easily access those meals, there's your childhood hunger crisis right there.

Kids can't learn when they're hungry.

When you're hungry, all you can focus on is how you need food.

Parents might receive permission slips from the school to sign up for the program... or ?

"* to get signed up they can call the rochester public library's hotline.

Information for that is right here... the hotline is open monday through saturday 9 am to 7 pm.

Thank you annalise... channel one also received a grant to provide prepared meals to the community.

It's currently accepting bids from local caterers to help make this happen.

Let's get