Food for Hope

Food for Hopes in-school food banks provide groceries for students in the school. FFH allows students to shop for enough fresh and non-perishable food items to last an entire week. These food banks provide a discreet way for students experiencing hunger to get the food they need without having to travel to another location. Food for Hope currently operates 9 different food banks in 3 different school districts. Food for Hope distributed 114,410 pounds of food in the 2023-24 school year.

Students need snacks at school to maintain focus, keep their energy up, and find success in their classes.\ Many teachers have reported to us that they use personal finances to purchase extra snacks for their students who are not able to bring one from home. We created this program to provide school day snacks and alleviate the financial burden from teachers who are providing this on their own. Food for Hope distributed 91,535 snacks in the 2023-24 school year.

Each school enrolled with Food for Hope helps us identify the students who need to receive nutritional assistance each week. Throughout the school year, teachers or staff who notice signs of hunger in a specific student may refer him or her to the school social worker to be signed up for our program. Schools then distribute food bags to the correct students each Friday so that the food is available to them for the weekend. Every week, volunteers meet to put together a bag full of nutritious food for each eligible child at the schools we serve. Bags include a vegetable (canned or fresh), a fruit (canned or fresh), whole grains, protein items, and 2 breakfasts/snacks. Volunteers deliver bags to participating schools on Thursday of each week, to be distributed before they leave for the weekend. Food for Hope distributed 12,734 food bags in the 2023-24 school year.