Our Teens Are Hungry
Nine million children in the U.S. are living with hunger. That’s 1 in 8 young people. Hunger is a serious problem in this country, and although research has shown that households that have older kids experience higher rates of food insecurity than households with younger children, most of what we know about childhood hunger focuses on younger children and not teenagers. So, what happens when school lunch is not available to students?
^^This is why Northmen Dens was founded, to nourish our students by providing food, mentoring, and tutoring in a manner that respects dignity and individuality while sustaining dreams.
Feeding Students All Year Long
We are now in the summer months, school is out and our kids can no longer rely on having one healthy meal a day. Instead many students are hungry and struggling. A teacher in Petoskey Schools reached out to us when summer school was in session explaining the incredible need for food for kids in the summer. She said,
“I have asked the kids what they are eating and one said they only eat at work, one said they had a few pizza rolls yesterday because that was what was in the house. Another said they ate the cookies with frosting from WalMart. Then, one of the girls said “Can we please call the Northmen Den to ask if they can help us with food? I go every week during the school year!”
This is why I am writing to you, per the request of my students. We have 37 students attending daily with our staff. Could you please consider helping us access food for the kids? We have classes everyday from 8-11 and 11-2. Some students stay all day, then go to work from 3 pm on. I think these are the students who are eating the least.”
Although school is no longer in session, this highlights the extreme need for our continued support all year long. Sixty-one percent of teens said they would be more likely to get school meals if they were free and available during summer and winter breaks, and 75% said they would be more likely to eat school meals if they had access to them through local community organizations and neighborhood sites. Northmen Dens Youth Pantries is this local resource! We are working hard to ensure our kids don’t go hungry this summer.
Help Feed our Kids
We need your help to feed our hungry kids! Your $25 donation will directly supply daily foods to these Petoskey students.
