Every year, 4,320 Second Harvest Inland Northwest volunteers pack 188,928 Bite2Go bags to distribute to 5,248 SPS students. The bags are filled with snacks and drinks to ensure that students who are experiencing food insecurity will have something to eat at home over the weekend.
School counselors like Kyle Johnson at Frances Scott Elementary School recognize the impact of the program on students’ health and well-being.
“A five, six, seven-year-old doesn’t have the full ability to take care of themselves, so when the family is stressed about something, they carry the stress in certain ways too, without knowing it a lot of the time,” he said.
It costs $2.2 million per year to operate this program. More than 174 local businesses, faith communities, and other organizations have signed up to adopt a Bite2Go school, providing donations to help close the food gap for children in our community. Many other individuals contribute one-time donations to continue Bite2Go’s efforts to address children’s basic needs to equip our next generation of leaders and citizens with the academic success needed to create a safer and stronger community.
We are grateful for the support of all donors and volunteers to make sure every kid has access to nutrition to fuel their bodies so they are ready to grow, learn and play. Visit Bite2Go to learn about getting involved.