Good morning friends of Care and Share!
Our County Highlight on Tuesday featured Jayden from Saguache County. 420 children like Jayden in this county are at risk of hunger every day. Jayden said that he “got used to eating from cans whatever was left.” He went on to say, “I actually now like kidney beans from the can. I used to be sad when we had no food. Now we go to food pantries and we get fresh food and cool snacks. I even volunteer at the pantries now. We will never been hungry again.”
Saguache is located in South Central Colorado and sits at an elevation of 7,800 feet. Cattle and sheep ranching are the main occupations in this part of the Valley. Farming is also a way of life for residents of Saguache. Crops include potatoes, lettuce, and barley. Saguache County has claimed “We’ve got Plenty of Nothing.”
Families living in rural communities face many challenges, including transportation and minimal access to food resources. It is a harsh reality that so many people are living with food insecurity in areas where healthy, nutritious food is abundant.
In order to serve children like Jayden, we implemented a Children’s Nutrition Initiative site in Saguache County. This program ensures that children have access to healthy food when school food is not available. We also provide food to those in need in this area by supplying food to five partner agencies. During our last fiscal year, we distributed 118,152 pounds of food, the equivalent of 98,460 meals, in Saguache County. Yay!
Thanks for reading!
