Barnabas seeks “Meal Pack Program” funding to help feed hundreds of hungry Nassau County schoolchildren

Barnabas Center Nassau
Press Release
Contact: [email protected]
904-261-7000 x108
April 11, 2018 9:00 a.m.

Did you know there are hundreds of Nassau County schoolchildren who do not have enough to eat, especially on weekends and holidays? According to a recent Hunger in America report from national nonprofit Feeding America, local findings indicate approximately 25 percent, or nearly 4,000, Nassau County children are food insecure, meaning they are without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Volunteers prepare to pack lunches for children.

Longtime research and data validate that childhood hunger and inadequate nutrition threaten not only cognitive and physical development, but also contribute to children’s poor school performance. Accordingly, this basic yet critical need for food is the reason Barnabas Center, in cooperation with the Nassau County school system, two years ago implemented the Barnabas Meal Pack Program, which provides nutritious food in kid-friendly packaging to lower-income children ages 5-12. Each pack contains approximately 5 pounds of food that sustains a child over weekends and school holidays, when they do not have access to school meals Monday through Friday.

Barnabas is asking the community’s help to continue the program into the 2018-19 school year. When Barnabas first established the program for the 2016-17 school year, they began working closely with Angela McClellan, the Nassau County school system’s Families in Transition/Homeless Liaison manager. McClellan determines which students meet the criteria to receive supplemental food assistance in the county’s 13 participating schools. Teachers, who interact with students in the more personal classroom settings, help identify the most vulnerable children, oftentimes those who are homeless or living in unstable housing situations.

“The first year of the program, 131 meal packs were needed each week of the 25-week school year,” said Tania Yount, Barnabas chief development officer. “However, the need nearly doubled in our current, second year of the program. We now need to provide 250 meal packs per week, which is expected to increase in the upcoming 2018-19 school year. That’s why we are now seeking funds and support to help us provide these vital packs to hundreds of hungry Nassau County schoolchildren.”

The 2017-18 Meal Pack Program was made possible through the generous donations of $25,000 from First Coast Honda Dealers, Inc., $5,000 from Bank of America Foundation, and private donations from local individuals. Barnabas is also thankful for its partnerships with local grocery store, BuyGO, Feeding Northeast Florida, community food drives, and other food donations.

In addition, dedicated volunteers from Rayonier, Omni Amelia Island Resort, First Baptist Church of Fernandina Beach, plus many established Barnabas volunteers gather each Friday at the Barnabas Food Pantry to assemble the meal packs. Then, on Monday mornings, volunteers deliver the packs to the schools’ offices, where lead teachers distribute them to the students on Fridays.
Randy Bowman, BuyGO co-founder, has been involved with Barnabas from the first discussion of the need to provide food to hungry schoolchildren over the weekends.

“Part of our BuyGO mission is to be a source of healthy foods. We are especially aware of children in need in our community,” said Bowman. “When we had our initial conversations about how BuyGO could support the Barnabas Meal Pack program, we looked very carefully at the ingredients and packaging that would be nutritious and best suited for the students. We took great care to avoid foods containing nuts and high sugar content. For example, we now order at a deep discount through our distributors the cartons of apple juice, cups of cereal that can be eaten without milk, and fruit bars. Not surprisingly, when we shared our Barnabas partnership story with them, they, too, wanted to support this program by holding down costs. In fact, with their help, we will be expanding our involvement in the upcoming school year so that even more hungry children will receive these much-needed meal packs.”

Yes, Bowman and Yount are anticipating the growing need for food packs in the 2018-19 school year, which is why they are both asking the community to help fund this program.
“Our county’s kids need our support. I appeal to every business leader in our area to support Barnabas’ many programs, including the food pantry, health services and crisis assistance programs. If your company can commit to only one nonprofit organization, I urge you to choose Barnabas. You will see the positive impact right here in our own neighborhoods by directly helping those in need,” said Bowman.
To donate to the Barnabas Meal Pack Program, contact Yount at (904) 261-7000, ext. 107. If you, or someone you know, are in need of food, contact Barnabas at (904) 261-7000 to request information on eligibility guidelines.
The Barnabas Food Pantry, located at 1303 Jasmine Street in Fernandina Beach, is open Mondays 1-4 pm, Tuesdays-Thursdays 10 am-3 pm, and Fridays 10 am-12 pm. Additionally, through its partnership with Feeding Northeast Florida, Barnabas provides a mobile food pantry to residents in need in west Nassau County twice per month, thanks to a grant from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida and space provided by the Nassau County government. To learn more about Barnabas Center and its services in Nassau County, visit www.BarnabasNassau.org.
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Barnabas is the comprehensive service center in Nassau County that helps our neighbors in crisis with a compassionate helping hand so they can become healthy, productive citizens, strengthening our entire community. Through Barnabas’ partnerships, we reach even more people and maximize resources.

Barnabas Center’s mission is to provide assistance to individuals and families in crisis throughout Nassau County. Barnabas Center’s vision is to be the primary nonprofit resource in Nassau County, providing assistance to connect individuals and families to services that will help them overcome crisis and achieve self-sufficiency.