Tote Me Home - Food for Kids!

An update on the Tote Me Home Program for the Collinsville, Il Unit School District 10.  Last year on November 1, 2018 we were giving out 130 bags to kids to take home for the weekend. We ended the 2018-2019 school year with 143 bags for the food insecure kids.  On November 8, 2019 we are handing out 156 bags!  This includes the High School, where we never delivered before.  It is 1 bag so far but we expect that to increase.  We are a program where we do not want to see an increase.  We hand these bags out to kids that who rely on the free and reduced lunch for the majority of their daily meals.  The bag is to help the food insecure kids on the weekend when they are not at school.  So what happened?  Why do we have so many more kids this year?  There are more questions than answers.  Is it the economy?  Or are there more people aware of kids coming to school hungry and want to make sure they get help?  

For our program to succeed we need financial donations to be able to continue doing this during our school year.  Please continue to support us during this time.  Kids should not be coming to school hungry in this country.

This week the children go back to school in Collinsville, Il..  Their summer vacation is over and it is back to learning.  Hunger never takes a vacation and interferes with learning.  The Collinsville Food Pantry is dedicated to making sure the food insecure children in the Collinsville School District has access to food over the weekend.  The Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus will be working on bags the first week of school to send home on Friday.  Hunger just does not stop.  So neither do we.  The Pantry was sending 135 bags home with the children at the end of the last school year.  We serve all the elementary, intermediate and the middle school in the district. 

Please remember that back to school also means some food security for children.  They receive free breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday.  Meals that help them function during the school day and that in turn helps them learn.  By supporting us you continue to support children in their education.

Summer is coming! You may not be aware that some kids dread summer vacation because, sadly, no school means no lunch. Collinsville Unit #10 School District has approximately 70% of students who are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program. For these kids, food insecurity is a reality.

Our Tote Me Home program continues into the summer months.  We partner with the HHH (Homework, Help and Hoops) Summer Camp Program.  They offer a free hot lunch 4 days a week in the months of June and July.  They send Tote Me Home bags with the kids who qualify, for the weekend.  We need financial support to continue during these summer months.  Please consider donating to our kids!

The Director of the Collinsville Food Pantry was discussing the increasing need of menu items for our Tote Me Home Program.  We are currently up to 136 children in the program from 9 schools.  A member of a local Church heard the Director talk about the increasing number and the need for menu items.  The member then went back to her Church and encouraged her Congregation to donate food items to the Tote Me Home Program.  A few weeks later she brought in 432 menu items for the Program!  They filled up the shelves!  This was an unsolicited donation and quite a surprise to the Director.  Sometimes listening in to a conversation can have unexpected results!  We are always in need of monetary funds as well to continue this program.  Please donate today.

Our project that serves the food insecure children from the Collinsville Community Unit School District 10 sometimes needs some physical assistance.  While we are always campaigning for funds to help pay for the food, sometimes we need other types of help.   The Collinsville Ladies Auxillary of the Knights of Columbus have taken the responsibility of filling the bag orders for each of our 10 schools.  Each school receives the number of bags they have requested, each filled with food by the volunteers. The Ladies are a fiesty bunch and are amazing at doing this project on a weekly basis.  Our program is located in a basement facility and the bags must be carried up 2 flights of stairs and out to the volunteer's cars.  Recently our local Fire Department stepped up to help out!  A quick phone call for help and the firemen arrive in the morning (if they are not on a call) and assist with carrying the bags.  This is just one example of how much our community pulls together to help our children.  The firemen have responded that they are thrilled to be a part of this project and are making this part of their weekly routine.  Tote Me Home is now serving 130 children each week.  We are blessed to have a caring community.   Please continue to support our project with a financial donation.  Thank you!