Nourishing Young Minds and Bodies
Nourishing Young Minds and Bodies
Nourishing Young Minds and Bodies
By Diane Baker-King
It is one thing to read an article or hear a news story about hunger; however, it’s another thing to witness it firsthand. More than 16 million children live in households that lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, 1 in 7.5 people, or an estimated 755,400 people, in metro Atlanta and north Georgia turn to food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families each year. This includes more than 164,000 children! Together with the Sodexo Feeding Our Future program, the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA is working to combat childhood hunger in Atlanta by providing meals to those children most at risk of food insecurity during the summer months.
Sodexo’s Feeding Our Future program has had a tremendous impact on the 1,400 youth participants. By providing breakfast, lunch and snacks, our students have had access to wholesome and nutritious food all summer. Typically when you hear the word ‘free food’ you may not think of exceptional customer service and/or high-quality food but it is just the opposite. The Sodexo staff and volunteers are wonderful and always strive to serve the kids a wide variety of appealing options. We appreciate the blessing of working with such a dedicated team.
