CASCADE, Michigan — Hundreds of people filed into Noto's Old World Italian Dining on Tuesday night to enjoy a feast fit for a king. Chefs from the American Culinary Federation of Greater Grand Rapids prepared a four-course meal for the crowd as a way to raise money for Kids' Food Basket.
"Right now, it's more important than ever. We're serving 10,000 healthy, nourishing, life-giving meals each and every day throughout the school year and throughout the summer," said Bridget Clark Whitney who serves as the President and Founding CEO of Kids' Food Basket.
"We still have scores of schools that are on our waiting list for services and many schools that are still in need of nutrition education and programming."
Summer is always a particularly tough time because school is out, and for many kids living with food insecurity, school is the only place where they can get a healthy, nutritious meal. On top of that, many families continue to struggle in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and our country's inflation crisis.
"We have thousands of families here in West Michigan that are really struggling with inflation and really struggling to put healthy food on the table," Clark Whitney said.
"In fact, 90,000 children between Kent County, Muskegon County, Ottawa County, and Allegan County are living in food insecure households — homes where there just simply isn't enough healthy food."
One of the best ways to help Kids' Food Basket, especially during the summer is to volunteer.
"We need volunteers to help us on the farm to harvest some of that beautiful produce, volunteers to help us pack meals and volunteers to help to deliver those meals as well. It's so critical in the summer," Clark Whitney said.
"Healthy, nourishing food is the very foundation of good health. Good health is the foundation of a good future. All of our kids, all of our families, everyone in our community deserves a good healthy future where they can thrive."
If you'd like to volunteer or donate to Kids' Food Basket, visit their website.
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