• The State of Hunger in Connecticut

    The State of Hunger in Connecticut

    Connecticut is an amazing place to live. From our beautiful towns & beaches, to great schools, and friendly neighbors. But Connecticut is also home to food insecurity.

    DataHaven and Siena College Research Institute recently surveyed our neighbors from across the state – let’s dig into the findings!

    • Food insecurity has increased since the onset of COVID-19.

    13% of respondents reported being food insecure before COVID-19. Two years after the pandemic began, 17% of respondents reported food insecurity. This year’s food insecurity rate is the highest according to DataHaven.

    • Food insecurity is higher in households with children.

    In households with children, 23% reported being food insecure, whereas in households with no children, 14% reported being food insecure.

    • Inflation is impacting spending habits, especially in households with children.

    Across the state, 68% of respondents reported inflation has moderately to largely impacted their spending habits, including food purchases. In households with children, that statistic rises to 73%.

    Here at Filling in the Blanks, we too are seeing these price increases firsthand, when purchasing food for our Weekend Meal bags.

    But, organizations like Filling in the Blanks are addressing hunger, right here in our communities, with programs like the Weekend Meal Program. We’re proud to provide meals to local kids through the weekend, so they can show up to school on Monday nourished and ready to learn!

    If you’d like to support our work in the face of rising food insecurity and prices, consider making a donation to Filling in the Blanks! Help us expand to new schools and reach more kids than ever before.

    Or donate your time and volunteer to help pack weekend meals. We have tons of opportunities for all ages.

    We’re making a difference in the state of hunger right here in Connecticut–and we couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for your continued support 🧡💜

    dmatamales

  • Hunger Action Month: Four Ways to Fight Hunger in Your Local Community

    Hunger Action Month: Four Ways to Fight Hunger in Your Local Community

    September is Hunger Action Month! At Filling in the Blanks, we treat every month like it’s Hunger Action Month, but we want to take this opportunity to highlight the top four ways you can step up to fight hunger in your local community.

    Feeding people in need takes a village! There are a lot of logistics involved, and giving even a couple hours of your time can go a long way. If you are able to s a lot of people coming together and sharing their generosity. We hope you will be one of them!

    Tip 1: Learn

    Awareness is always step one. Take a little time to read up on food insecurity rates in your city or town, county, and state. You may be shocked to learn how many local families are food insecure.

    Hunger in Connecticut >

    Hunger in New York >

    Sadly, the numbers you find online may actually be significantly lower than actual food insecurity rates right now, due to inflation, increased food costs, COVID aftermath, and not all families reporting this information.

    Tip 2: Ask

    Ask your local schools what programming they offer for food insecure families. Do they partner with Filling in the Blanks or another nonprofit to send home weekend meals? Are they making it easy for families to apply for free or reduced-price school meals? Are these programs structured in an ethical way, so students aren’t singled out or shamed for participating? You can be an advocate by making sure your local schools are doing everything they can to support students and families.

    Tip 3: Volunteer

    Feeding people in need takes a village! There are a lot of logistics involved, and giving even a couple hours of your time can go a long way. If you are able to volunteer with us in Norwalk, CT, we would love to have you. If you’re not local, you can research local food banks and other food distribution programs nearby. Volunteering can be a very rewarding experience for teens and adults alike, and it’s a huge help for charities like ours with small teams.

    Tip 4: Invest

    When you invest financially in Filling in the Blanks, you’re not just paying for food. You’re paying for all of the logistics that go into identifying and feeding children in need, every weekend. And you’re investing in the future of our local communities, because when kids have access to nutritious meals it benefits their physical health, social and emotional development, ability to learn, and family dynamics.

    If you’re able to contribute monthly to fund weekend meals throughout this school year, your ongoing support will be a huge help. $6 per week ($24 per month) provides all of a kid’s weekend meals, every single weekend.

    Thank you for being a champion in our communities. No child deserves to go hungry, and we’re on a mission to make sure they never do.

    dmatamales

  • Back to School 2022: Resources to Prevent Child Hunger & Malnutrition

    Back to School 2022: Resources to Prevent Child Hunger & Malnutrition

    We say it every year, but this summer has really flown by. We hope it’s been a great one for you and your loved ones.

    With Connecticut and New York kiddos going back to school, we’re doing all we can to make sure they have enough nourishing food to eat—so they can succeed in the classroom and beyond.

    Filling in the Blanks partners closely with schools in our region to supply weekend meals for kids in need. For the last two years, the federal school meal waiver program allowed all kids to access free breakfast and lunch at school, no questions asked. Sadly, that federal program just ended on June 30th. For the 2022-23 school year, families need to apply for free or reduced-price school meals like they did before the pandemic.

    With inflation and food prices soaring right now, we encourage all families who might be eligible to apply for meal assistance for your kid(s) as soon as possible!

    How to apply for school meal assistance

    This USDA article has information and eligibility requirements for kids to receive free or reduced-price school meals in the 2022-23 school year. This more detailed chart can help you determine whether your kid(s) qualify for free or reduced-price lunch based on your household income.

    Here’s an example to help you understand how the chart works: A child in a family of four with a household income of $51,338/year or less qualifies for reduced-price meals. A child in a family of four with a household income of $36,075/year or less qualifies for free meals.

    To apply for school meal assistance in Connecticut, contact your county’s staff person or ask for an application at your child’s school and they will answer any questions you may have. To apply for school meal assistance in New York, ask for an application at your child’s school and they will answer any questions you may have.

    You can apply for school meal assistance any time—even if the school year is already underway. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced price meals. Citizenship status is not a question on the application.

    How to apply for Filling in the Blanks & who qualifies

    How to register for Filling in the Blanks Weekend Meal Bags

    You can register for free weekend meals for your kid(s) by visiting this webpage. You will see links to either select your town on the right hand side, or email us if your town is not listed. You can also check with your school’s social worker to find out if they partner with us.

    If we don’t currently serve your area, that may change in the future! Filling in the Blanks is growing and our team is working hard to provide meals to more schools.

    Important nutrition info for kids in school

    Making sure all children have enough to eat is critical, but what they eat is equally critical for their ability to focus, learn, and develop physically, socially, and emotionally. We worked with school and hospital nutritionists to design our weekend meal bags, to ensure they meet kids’ nutritional needs. We’re constantly researching and adding wonderful new shelf-stable items (most recently yogurts!) to fulfill nutritional needs.

    Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low fat/non-fat dairy, and healthy protein should make up the majority of every kid’s diet—just like adults.

    According to the CDC, “Empty calories from added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of daily calories for children and adolescents age 2–18 years—affecting the overall quality of their diets. Approximately half of these empty calories come from six sources: soda, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, grain desserts, pizza, and whole milk.”

    Nutrients and calories are NOT the same. “While most American children may be taking in a great deal of calories, they may not be taking in any essential vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. This lack in vitamins and minerals leads to detrimental side-effects.” (Public School Review)

    Filling in the Blanks is fighting against empty bellies and empty calories by providing well-rounded, nourishing meal bags every weekend. Please share this blog post with your community, because you truly never know who might benefit from this information right now.

    If you’re able to support us by donating or volunteering, it makes all the difference in the world for local families.

    We wish you a wonderful 2022-23 school year!

    dmatamales

  • Corporate Partner Highlight: Burns Construction

    Corporate Partner Highlight: Burns Construction

    Filling in the Blanks has teamed up with a new corporate partner: Burns Construction! The Burns team recently hosted a golf tournament fundraiser for us that was a huge success.

    To understand their values and the motivation behind this generous new partnership, we interviewed a member of the Burns Construction team, Anthony Sallati, to dig a little deeper. Here’s what Anthony shared with us on behalf of the team:

    ree

    How did Burns Construction first get involved with Filling in the Blanks?

    “I actually looked up all non-profit charities in Connecticut and went through every single one alphabetically. Our goal was to find an organization who gave total funds to a direct cause, preferably to children. When we saw that Filling in the Blanks only has one paid employee and does so many great events that help children in our local areas, it was easy to choose them. After meeting with Tina and Shawnee, it solidified the choice we made.”

    What connection does Burns have to FITB’s mission of ending local childhood hunger? What does this work mean to you?

    “The original owner of our company, Edward T. Burns Jr., always looked to give back to his community. Our charity is in his name and his son, Ken Burns Sr., is following in his footsteps of helping local communities and, more directly, children in the local communities.

    The Burns Family has donated to many soup kitchens, children homes and schools to help children and others over the years. There is always a thought of ‘How can we help others?’ This means everything to the Burns Family and is one of the main reasons the organization was started.”

    Why is getting involved at a local level so important to Burns?

    “Burns has been a staple in CT and more specifically the Stratford area for over 60 years. We have grown to a size our original owner didn’t even think possible, and we continue to grow. It is very important to help the community around us. As we grow, we love to see others grow and do well around us.”

    Businesses can make a big difference when they give back to their community, especially when each employee has an opportunity to get involved with the work. What are some ways that your employees work together with FITB?

    “This year, we chose Filling in the Blanks as a recipient of proceeds from our annual golf event. We suggested FITB to our golf committee and we unanimously agreed that this is an organization we wanted to partner with. We had about 12 volunteers from our company who worked the golf event and helped promote FITB as our charity that would benefit from monies raised.

    It was great working with FITB for the first time. I hope we will be able to work together with Tina and Shawnee in the future. We clicked from the beginning and share the same drive for helping kids locally. We wish Filling in the Blanks nothing but the best!”

    We’re building something great together, and the Filling in the Blanks team is extremely thankful. We’re always open to developing custom partnerships like this one—and there are so many creative ways local companies can give back with us.

    Learn More & Become a Partner Today >

    dmatamales

  • Reflections on National Hunger Awareness Day

    Reflections on National Hunger Awareness Day

    Today, June 6th, marks National Hunger Awareness Day. As we near the halfway point in the year, pandemic financial relief is phasing out while inflation is on the rise. A large and growing number of Connecticut families are struggling to put food on the table.

    For our Golf Outing fundraiser event last month (thank you to all who participated!), one of the mothers who benefits from Filling in the Blanks, Joanna, shared some beautiful reflections that speak to her all-too-common struggle with food insecurity, her immense love for her son, and her appreciation for neighbors who are helping. Joanna lives in Norwalk, where our warehouse is located and where two-thirds of students are eligible for free school meals. Here is the beautiful note she shared with us:

    “My name is Joanna, I have a 6-year son in kindergarten at Jefferson Elementary School in Norwalk. We have been a part of the Filling in the Blanks organization since October of 2021. This organization has done so much for my son and I.

    Being a single, full-time working mother, it’s hard to get to the grocery store during the week or even the weekends. So having the bagged food products every week has helped and benefited me and my son tremendously. It’s truly a blessing to have an organization like Filling in the Blanks that cares for people like me.

    Joanna, parent of a kindergartener

    Being able to provide for my son is number one, and having nutritional food in the kitchen is key. He loves the pastas, mac and cheese, the chocolate chip granola bars, and the apple sauce pouches. To be able to cook his favorite meals and sit down and talk about his day at school is the highlight of my day.

    I’m so very appreciative of this organization. I truly don’t know where I would be if organizations like this didn’t exist. It really helps the community to thrive, and it brings people together. I want my son to grow and learn, and that starts with the right healthy foods. I also feel like all schools across the country should have organizations like this and if they don’t, they should start right away. This organization keeps food on the table for those who need it most, and I’m so glad that it has helped me and my son.”

    As Joanna and all loving parents know, a child who is well fed is a child who can focus in the classroom and perform better in school, feels better emotionally, can be a kid without worrying about where their next meal is coming from, and will achieve greater long-term success in life.

    We can’t overstate the power of relieving families of food insecurity on the weekends; especially during the summer when food insecurity rates traditionally rise. We also can’t overstate the impact that Filling in the Blanks has on volunteers of all ages. One of our Youth Volunteers recently said it best:

    “I really like being able to support and help an organization that I believe is making a difference and filling a necessary gap in our community. Volunteering at Filling in the Blanks has changed my understanding of poverty and food insecurity. Before I volunteered at Filling in the Blanks, I had no idea just how many kids in the area were food insecure and it shocked me to see how it is a problem in almost every school.”

    At the end of this month, the federal school meal waiver program that has been running since 2020 is expiring. This will cause many schools, camps, and community centers to scale back on providing meals to kids.

    So at this time, our team is preparing to do more. Along with our wonderful board of directors, we have developed a strategic plan to expand significantly and feed thousands more kids in need over the next 24 months.

    The most impactful way you can help your neighbors and support our expansion plan is to become a Filling in the Blanks monthly donor. Reliable, monthly contributions allow us to plan ahead and serve more kids in more areas of the state, every single weekend.

    Fund weekend meals every month

    Simply click this link and select “Monthly” after choosing your dollar amount. It costs $40/month to fund all of a child’s weekend meals, every weekend. That very child could grow up to be somebody great, somebody who contributes to our society in amazing ways; especially if their belly is full while they’re learning, growing, and developing their unique world view.

    Thank you for believing in this as much as we do. Together, we can end child hunger in Connecticut and serve as a model for the rest of the country.

    dmatamales

  • The U.S. School Meal Waiver Program Is Gone: Connecticut Educators Reflect

    The U.S. School Meal Waiver Program Is Gone: Connecticut Educators Reflect

    Two years ago, at the onset of the pandemic, Congress passed a federal waiver program that allowed all U.S. students to eat school meals for free—no questions asked. Families who are eligible for free or reduced school means don’t apply for the program, for myriad reasons, and some families hover right above the income requirements to qualify but need and deserve the support. For the last two years, this program evened the playing field in the breakfast and lunch line. Educators and families across Connecticut and the country loved this program.

    But last week, on June 30th, Congress decided not to extend this program and it was terminated immediately. This means families who are fighting to stay afloat financially this summer have an uphill battle heading into the upcoming school year.

    Filling in the Blanks partners closely with school district personnel and social workers across the state to run our weekend meal distribution program, so we asked some of these wonderful partners to share their thoughts on the meal waiver program ending. What does this really mean for our kids and their peers?

    Reflections from Connecticut educators

    “The ending of the school meal waiver program has caused tremendous uncertainty. I recall several situations (prior to the meal waiver program) where children who were only eligible for reduced priced meals did not have the adequate funds in their school meal account to purchase lunch, causing them to feel embarrassed, disappointed, and worse—hungry. The waiver allowed families to have a peace of mind knowing their children would receive a healthy and balanced meal each day they were in our school’s care. It is both heartbreaking and terrifying to think that this is coming to an end.” —Emily Khoshaboo, Social Worker, Greenwich Public Schools

    ________________________________________________________________________

    “The school meal waiver program leveled the playing field for students during breakfast and lunch. There has been no worry of filling out paperwork for families scared due to immigration status, there has been no socioeconomic divide between students who are able to bring lunch from home versus students who receive free/reduced meals. It has made it so that the vast majority of students elect to have breakfast and lunch provided by the school cafeteria. I am scared that by this waiver ending, a large portion of our students will not access, or have access, to two meals a day.” —Lauren Giannattasio, Social Worker, Rogers School

    ________________________________________________________________________

    “The school meal waiver program ending in June will have a direct deleterious impact on the students who now receive free meals through the schools. Many families don’t take the initiative to apply for free meals for a variety of reasons and they are unable to keep up with the costs of increased grocery bills. have heard of many children sharing one piece of pizza for dinner with their siblings, and these children come to school very hungry—eager for their free breakfasts. Parents who are ashamed to ask for handouts are so grateful for the free meals at school. We can’t expect kids to flourish in school if they are too hungry to focus on learning.”

    ________________________________________________________________________

    “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, students at Norwalk Public Schools have been able to enjoy free meals thanks to nationwide waivers. Now that these waivers have expired, Norwalk and schools across the country on the National School Lunch Program must return to charging for breakfast and lunch and can only offer free or reduced-priced meals to students who qualify for those benefits. School meals continue to be some of the healthiest meal options for kids and are an important part of the learning day. Our goal is to continue to support all students and families by ensuring those who need free meals at school continue to receive them. After July 1st, families will have the opportunity to complete an application for free or reduced-price meals for school year 2022-2023. While there is still time for new flexibilities to be granted for the upcoming school year, the team at Norwalk is hard at work preparing for all possible outcomes in our unwavering commitment to serve up happy and healthy to every student, every day.”—Angela Valentin, Resident District Manager, Chartwells

    What we can all do to help

    First, we encourage all families to contact your kids’ school and find out whether you qualify for National Free or Reduced Lunch. If so, please apply! Most applications are currently open for the upcoming school year. With inflation and food prices so high and continuing to rise, there is no shame in receiving this assistance for your child or children. Many families need financial support right now, for a million different reasons, and we’re all in this together.

    Second, if you’re in a position to support Filling in the Blanks financially and help neighboring families, we will continue ramping up our programming to meet the increased demand.

    The biggest thing you can do to help now is contribute monthly to Filling in the Blanks. Reliable, ongoing donations allow us to serve more kids in more areas of the state, every single weekend. It costs $25/month to fund all of a child’s weekend meals, all year round. One-time donations are also greatly appreciated.

    “The Filling in the Blanks meal program has been an extra blessing to most families that we serve as we know how hard times have become with prices being inflated since the pandemic. People are just trying to get through their daily struggles and this package of food helps most families more than you know. The packages are filled with some pretty decent portions and necessities that satisfy both parent and child. There are a few goodies in the bags that my students particularly look forward to receiving.” —Monica Wilson, Norwalk Housing Authority

    ________________________________________________________________________

    “Filling in the Blanks is an invaluable resource for families at Westover Elementary School. Children ask me on a regular basis, “When do we get the Backpack Program?!” (As it is known by the kids.) They are so excited when Fridays come and they receive their bag of food. I hear from many families how important this extra food is for families who are struggling mightily to stay afloat. When the kindergarten students walk a bit slower to the bus, weighed down by a heavy bag of food, I am certain that this extra bit of food is essential for our families.” —Mich West, LCSW, Westover Elementary School

    The abrupt end of the federal school meal waivers is a huge hurdle, but we’re not going anywhere. We will continue supplying nutritious weekend meals to as many families as we possibly can—and we’re steadily growing thanks to your support.

    dmatamales

  • St. Luke’s service club helps build up Fairfield County nonprofits

    St. Luke’s service club helps build up Fairfield County nonprofits

    Read more at TheHour.com.

    The timing was perfect. Filling in the Blanks needed a new desk and storage space, and Dean Ambrose wanted to help local nonprofits by building anything they needed.

    “For Filling in the Blanks, it was perfect timing to help us fulfill our vision,” said Tina Kramer, co-founder and co-president of the Norwalk organization with Shawnee Knight.

    The desk for Filling in the Blanks was the first project completed by the Building for Nonprofits club, a student organization founded by Ambrose at St. Luke’s School. The junior spent the summer reaching out to nonprofits across Fairfield County and offering building services.

    The idea for the club came to Ambrose after he completed his Eagle Scout project, which was building convertible benches for Grassroots Tennis & Education in Norwalk. He wanted to bring that opportunity of community service to his school, which requires its students complete 80 hours of volunteer service before graduating.

    Building for Nonprofits is the only club at St. Luke’s where students’ time working on a club project can be logged as community service hours. About a dozen students amassed over 100 hours working on the project for Filling in the Blanks. Ambrose has 11 students working on their next project — building 20 birdhouses for the Darien Land Trust.

    “We decided to partner with Dean and his club because we believe in the importance of building relationships in the broader community, not just within Darien, and we believe this will raise awareness about the DLT and the importance of providing habitats for birds right in your own backyard,” Beth Harmon, executive director of the Darien Land Trust, said in an email.

    The club takes advantage of the school’s designLab with access to 3D printers and a laser cutter. Ambrose is also looking forward to using the CNC routers on future projects.

    In addition to his nonprofit outreach, Ambrose also worked with lumber retailer Ring’s End to secure materials for the projects. The club made small, wooden ornaments using 3D software and a laser cutter, and sold them at the school’s annual holiday boutique to raise more funds.

    “A large part of the project is fundraising,” said Ambrose, who personally funded the club’s first project.

    Beyond helping others, Ambrose and his classmates are also learning about different building tools, what materials work best for each project, and how to fix their mistakes without leaving any evidence on the final product.

    “The trial and error nature of our projects has been amazing. Looking back on what we’ve created is awesome, and all of the challenges and mistakes made along the way make our projects personal and unique,” said Harrison Bennett, who knew he wanted to be a part the new club as soon as Dean pitched it to him. “I would be fine just building various things in the Design Lab with my friends, but being able to give our creations back to the community makes the whole process that much more gratifying.”

    Building for Nonprofits constructed the desk for Filling in the Blanks at the school then transported it the organization’s building in the back of a pickup truck. The desk will serve as the point of contact for FITB volunteers and store waiver forms, name tags, masks and gloves. It also has a cut out for a large whiteboard, a shelf to hold a laptop computer, and a cupboard to store water bottles. It replaces a folding table.

    “Everything is now in one organize place,” Kramer said. “The unit is beautifully constructed. It came out better than we had envisioned.”

    Kramer and Harmon were impressed with Ambrose and the club’s volunteers for their professionalism on the projects and attention to detail.

    “I personally know several club members. They are all scholar athletes and have perfectly paired building and having fun while attaining service hours. You can tell by their smiles this is fun work,” Harmon said.

    Ambrose is looking forward to their next project: Building picnic tables for the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield.

    “I love tables. They’re a great challenge because wood bends which is not helpful when you’re trying to make a 90-degree angle,” he said.

    Ambrose said his goal is to keep the Buildings for Nonprofits club running long after he graduates. He’s recruiting freshmen and sophomores to join the club so he can teach them the ropes and looking for more non-profits to work with on future projects.

    dmatamales

  • Happy Small Business Month! Celebrating our Corporate Partners

    Happy Small Business Month! Celebrating our Corporate Partners

    May is National Small Business Month! Filling In the Blanks relies on corporate partners, and support from our local community, to deliver nutritious meals to thousands of local kids in need every weekend. Our partners and their employees participate in rewarding team volunteering, get recognized online and at our events, and are always finding creative ways to fund our work.

    Each of our corporate partnerships looks a little bit different, and we cherish them all. Some, like First County Bank, started out as event sponsors and grew into something bigger, while younger companies like J5 Consulting included Filling in the Blanks in their business plans from the beginning.

    Reflecting on a seven-year partnership that started with a Golf Outing sponsorship, Karen Kelly at First County Bank shared that Filling in the Blanks helps Bank employees make an ongoing positive difference in the communities they love.

    “Supporting the local community is part of First County Bank’s mission, and as a mutual community bank, it is our responsibility to support our neighbors. Over the years, we have seen a significant increase in food insecurity—especially during the pandemic—and as a result, our Bank and Foundation recognize the importance of supporting efforts to increase the availability of nutritious meals for local families.”

    First County Bank employees have participated in our annual Golf Outings and volunteered packing and delivering meal bags every year. Many of their employees are dedicated to community service outside of business hours, too—serving on nonprofit boards and hosting local community events.

    Down in Greenwich, J5 Consulting is a three-year-old employee benefits firm with a different partnership story: J5’s founders supported Filling in the Blanks as individuals before starting their business, so they wove our cause into the fabric of their firm. The J5 crew keeps finding creative ways to support us—including ditching holiday gift baskets for donations.

    “COVID really highlighted the need for Filling in the Blanks. The need was so critical. While it’s easy for us to provide large donations, the most fun gift we have made thus far was holiday donations on behalf of our clients. We replaced the food baskets we used to send to clients with gifts to Filling in the Blanks. Our clients loved this and really appreciate the thoughtfulness!”

    When asked why the J5 team devotes so much of their time to our mission, their answer is simple: If you can, you should.

    ree

    “Our giving as a company, and as individual members of the company, goes far beyond cash gifts. This is a family affair. We show up on weekends, after hours during the week, and over the holidays to pack meal bags. Each of our founders’ kids have worked at Filling in the Blanks over the summer or for internships!”

    Connecticut businesses that want to help us end childhood hunger in Connecticut can learn more about Filling in the Blanks Corporate Partnerships and get in touch any time. A partnership with Filling in the Blanks translates directly into healthy meals for Connecticut kids in need, provides memorable volunteering activities for teams of all sizes, and can be customized to meet your company’s unique budget and goals for community impact.

    dmatamales

  • Your impact is felt by 3,700 kids and counting!

    Your impact is felt by 3,700 kids and counting!

    Friends, we did it – we reached our fundraising goal! With your support, 2022 is looking bright for thousands of kids in Filling in the Blanks’ Weekend Meal Program. Since the pandemic began two years ago, our program has seen unprecedented demand as many families have endured new challenges. With record job losses and rising prices of food, the pandemic has made existing inequalities worse, and thrust many families into food insecurity for the very first time.

    Economic recovery, and recovery from hunger, will take time. One day we hope our program is no longer needed, but until then FITB will keep working to reach as many kids as we can in Connecticut and New York.

    ree

    With your help, Filling in the Blanks added 24 schools to our network in 2021, and you can now find our Weekend Meal Program in 85 locations! This means that 3,766 students can rely on our program every week for nutritious meals. You also helped us replace a meal delivery truck in our fleet, which will be crucial to our operations in 2022.

    Filling in the Blanks expanded in new ways that will make our Weekend Meal Bags even better and more accessible in 2022. With our new home delivery option to schools where delivering meals in person became difficult, we were able to add more families into the program and ensure they had access to meals. Nine new food vendors are now a part of the Weekend Meal Program, which will increase the quantity and quality of food items in kids’ meal bags, and expand what we can offer this year.

    All thanks to you, Filling in the Blanks expects to serve 775,000 meals in 2022 – more meals than we have ever expected to serve in a single year! This impact will be felt by every student, family member, and school staff we work with. From all of us in the Filling in the Blanks community, we are so grateful for your support. No matter the challenges that 2022 might bring, you have helped us remain a resource that families can rely on.

    Want to join the community fighting local hunger? Sign up for our mailing list for volunteer updates, events, and initiatives.

    dmatamales

  • Formally trained cook & Co-Founder Shawnee Knight knows good food – and that food does good.

    Formally trained cook & Co-Founder Shawnee Knight knows good food – and that food does good.

    Today is World Food Day, where 150 countries work together to raise awareness and encourage action for hunger around the world. The best way to get involved is to start local, and tackle issues in your community! We caught up with co-founder Shawnee Knight, who founded FITB eight years ago to make a change in her community.

    As a formally trained chef who was in a free and reduced school lunch program as a child herself, she brings a unique perspective and passion for food to her work.

    Shawnee knows firsthand that kids in FITB’s Weekend Meal Program are getting more than just food; they’re getting a piece of their family routines back. A passion for cooking runs through her family, and sitting down for a family meal was an important tradition that sparked Shawnee’s passion for food:

    “I have been passionate about cooking since I was in 3rd or 4th grade. My grandmother was a baker and candy maker, and my younger brother has a restaurant in Miami. I guess it’s in my DNA? I have always loved to feed people and as a family, we sit down almost every night for family dinner.”

    ree

    When they started FITB, co-founders and friends Shawnee Knight and Tina Kramer knew about the need for food in their community and started small by providing meals to kids on local sports teams. As they got more involved in the work, the scale of food insecurity and the number of children going hungry in their community surprised them and continues to motivate them to find new ways to expand the program to reach even more kids in need.

    “We did some research and learned about hunger, which was happening right in our community. We both are from modest upbringings; I was a kid that was on the free and reduced lunch program and can relate. The thought that kids were going hungry in our community broke our hearts. Everyone can relate to food on some level; it is what fuels our minds and bodies. When we started this, I don’t think we knew what it would evolve into or truly knew the need.”

    Unlike federal assistance programs, kids in FITB’s Weekend Meal Program receive meals the same week they sign up. Shawnee’s love for food and culinary knowledge helps inform what items are most helpful to include in the Weekend Meal bags – because nutritious meals are only healthy if kids will actually eat them!

    “Having a love for food and knowledge about cooking, I look at the items and think, what could someone make with this? Before COVID, we did a focus group with a great group of middle school students in our program. It was exciting to create recipes for the kids we serve and show them how to prepare the food in the weekend meal bags with fun and creativity. You can make something yummy on a budget and without a lot of ingredients.”

    The COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for FITB, and they had to get creative to overcome them. When supply chain issues made it difficult to get the items they wanted for the Weekend Meal Bags, they made sure to get input from kids in the program on new items:

    “The most complex thing about providing food in our nonprofit space is providing something the kids will like that is healthy, shelf-stable, and not too heavy to carry home from school. This past year we have faced challenges in the supply chain and getting items that we want. So we got creative and would send new foods to schools and have remote focus groups with the kids. The students would taste test and report back what they liked and didn’t like. This would help us when deciding what to include in the Weekend Meal Bags.”

    The meals in our program are chef-inspired, nutritionist-approved, and kid-tested! We are grateful every day for our community for supporting our mission to bring a little joy to local kids in need. Some day we hope our services are no longer needed, but until then we’ll be working hard to reach as many hungry kids as we can.

    This year with your support we expanded to reach 16 additional schools in CT and NY, and you can help us reach even more next year. Consider making a donation, hosting a fundraiser or food drive to tackle hunger in your local community.

    dmatamales