LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Spring break is right around the corner. While most people have been working to plan their vacations, others have been trying to figure out where their next meal will come from.
"During the spring break time, they're not able to access their normal lunch at school or their breakfast at school. So by serving lunch, we're just helping fill the gap that they're not meeting through school meals," said Jessica Frazier-Emerson. project coordinator at Be Mighty Little Rock.
She explained how one out of every five children may not know where their next meal is coming from, and one of the most crucial points of food insecurity for children is usually when they take a break from school.
"The library likes to emphasize meal access as hungry kids are not able to learn or even enjoy their recreational time as much when their belly is not full. So something that we like to emphasize in our library programs is that in order to be an engaged learner, and engaged student, and to enjoy all of the things that we offer at the library, a full belly is really necessary," Emerson explained.
She said that this year Be Mighty Little Rock will host a spring break meal service that will provide hot meals for those in need.
"It's really important for families to be able to plan and so I know that spring break can be really intimidating for a lot of food insecure families.," Emerson said.
They also explained how the number of families needing assistance grows every day.
"It is imperative to be able to bring food to families in Central Arkansas. The just quantity of food insecurity that people are experiencing is growing and so any work that can be done to provide avenues for that is just imperative to bring to our community," said Andie Kate White, specialist with Be Mighty Little Rock.
He said that donating a canned good or donating hours of your time, can make a world of difference in not only a child's life but for the entire family.
"Just be able to take that concern off of their plate, quite literally is going to strengthen our community and allow us to grow to support each other and help create healthier, happier kids," White said.
For the complete Be Mighty Little Rock spring break meal service schedule, please click here.