Every winter, we receive many donations from community members who want to make sure no child goes hungry over the holidays. But what people may not know is one of the hardest times for families experiencing food insecurity is actually the summer.
Parents face a double whammy in the summer: Families who typically benefit from free and reduced-price school lunches face substantially higher grocery store bills during the summer, and parents must pay high costs for summer childcare so they can work.
Summer should be a carefree time for children, but every week we see children and families coming through our doors. The average household with children we serve has four family members and somehow manages to survive in Flathead County on $17,624.76 including SNAP! Many of you are wondering how they afford to live and work here as we ask ourselves everyday but support through Flathead Food Bank is a reason families are able to.
The state has the option to address the ongoing problem of summer hunger. The federal government has provided states with food assistance for children on free and reduced-price lunches. This program, called P-EBT, can help 73,000 children in our state and bring in $10 million in federal funds which supports our local food economy from grocery stores to our beloved farmers market.
As Executive Director of Flathead Food Bank, we ask that Governor Greg Gianforte accept these federal funds and help address the long-standing issue of summer hunger in our state.
Jamie Quinn
Kalispell