Good  afternoon friends of Care and Share,

 

Twelve-year-old Ryan is already feeling anxious. As school ends for the year, he and his eight-year-old sister Sara will no longer be provided with a hot, healthy breakfast and lunch every weekday. He waits until the other kids leave the cafeteria and then fills his pockets with apples, rolls, even packets of mayonnaise. A cafeteria worker notices and asks him if he is hungry.

“I am not hungry now, “he replies. “I’m trying to stock up so me and my sister will have food to eat this summer.”

The story of Ryan and his sister Sara was shared by the Food Bank of the Rockies and is just one example of the nearly 1 in 4 Colorado kids living in a household where food isn’t always available. Many of these families don’t always have enough money to buy food to eat – sometimes the money runs out at the end of the month or in some cases buying food is an issue all summer because of parents’ low wages. Household finances are circumstances that are far beyond a child’s control.

Food Banks across our state, including Care and Share, are working tirelessly to ensure kids like Ryan and Sara have enough to eat this summer. You can help fight childhood hunger through the 2015 CenturyLink Backpack Buddies Food Drive from June 1-12 by participating in a virtual food drive.

Thanks to the CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation, monetary donations will be calculated at six pounds of food per $1.00, resulting in a $6.00 match on every $1.00 donated!

To learn more about the food drive, email Colorado.Community.Relations@centurylink.com.