Summer Food Insecurity - Show Me Health

For many families, summer is a time for family getaways and relaxation. Unfortunately, one in five children in this nation do not get enough food to eat, and summer vacation can easily become the hungriest time of the year once school meals disappear.

Studies show that average family grocery bills increase by $300 in the summer months, straining most low-income budgets beyond their breaking points.

Nationally, more than 22 million children from low-income families eat school lunches every day, yet only 4 million of these kids are getting the summer meals they need. That’s five out of six kids who aren’t getting the meals they need in the summer months.

Many families in Livingston County rely on free and reduced lunches—Livingston County as a whole has 48 percent of students accessing the program, with some rural communities having a rate as high as 73 percent. 

In 1968, the federal government implemented the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to replace the school lunches low-income children would miss during the summer months.  Many area summer school programs access this program to feed kids for free. 

The No Hunger Summer feeding program provides free lunches to children 18 and under five days a week during the summer. Adults can join them for just $2.00. In Chillicothe, the program is administered by the North Missouri Center for Youth & Families located in the old Savage’s Grocery building at 211 Locust.   From June 9^th to August 11^th, lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every weekday (exceptions are July 3^rd and 4^th.)  Kids free and adults eat for $2—hard to beat those prices these days!    NMCYF boasts a classroom garden, so often produce from the garden is used to add even more nutrition to the meal.  Anyone and everyone is welcome to eat through the No Hunger Summer program—there are no income guidelines, just a desire to feed hungry kids.  

Children are not the only ones in this county suffering from food insecurity—not knowing where your next meal will come from. 

Here are some other resources in our community:

Livingston County Food Pantry, located at 403 Locust across from the Cultural Corner, distributes excess donated food from local merchants to anyone.  They regularly receive all kinds of bread (including sweets) and produce, that local merchants donate to avoid waste.  At times, other items—such as eggs, are donated and distributed.  Emergency Boxes are also given out to families who are struggling to feed their families.

The Food Pantry also distributes Missouri Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) items once a month to those who meet income guidelines. 

The Pantry is not open every day, please call 247-2822 to find out if they are open, or stop by when you see activity and grab a calendar. 

The Livingston County Health Center administers the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC.) WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program which provides services to pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to their 5th birthday based on nutritional risk and income eligibility.  The primary services provided are health screening, risk assessment, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and referrals to health care.  Supplemental food is provided at no cost to participants.

Depending on the food package, participants can receive vouchers to purchase foods such as milk, cereal, juice, bread, pasta, fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, tuna, baby food and formula.

The income guidelines for the WIC program are higher than many.  For example, a family of 4 can make as much as $45,510 a year, or $876 a week.  Call the Health Center at 646-5506 to find out more about signing up for the WIC Program.

The House of Prayer Rescue Mission, located at 144 Herriford Street in Chillicothe, offers hot meals free of charge every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:00 a.m., and Sundays at 11:15 a.m. at their location.

Chillicothe Correctional Center donates all kinds of vegetables grown at their facility throughout the summer.  Food is distributed through the agencies who receive the vegetables.  

The Pass the Taters Community Gardening Project maintains a garden on the grounds of the old Chillicothe Correctional Center on Third Street.  Produce from their garden is given away to families with encouragement to help with the garden in some way.  Join their Facebook Group to connect and find out how you can be a part of this effort. 

During the school year, the Grand River YMCA distributes the Second Harvest program Backpack Buddies, which provides unperishable foods for kids to eat over the weekend, when free or reduced lunch meals aren’t offered.   This project relies on donations and tries to include more children every year, so if you can help in any way, please contact Shawn Hurtgen at the YMCA, 646-6677.  Children who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch qualify for Backpack Buddies.

All of these local efforts need your support!  Please take advantage of their efforts to help feed your family and stretch your grocery dollars.