During the holiday season, people's hearts tend to grow. A generous spirit fills the air as each of us recognizes the many blessings we have received and we share those blessings with others. It's a wonderful time of year. The Blaine County Hunger Coalition and those we serve have been the recipient of many shared blessings recently. I would like to acknowledge all who have generously given in order to ensure the food safety net in Blaine County remains strongly in place.
Perhaps you've heard the news by now—32 percent of children qualified for the free or reduced meal plan through the Blaine County School District last year. That's one-in-three children in our schools who receive breakfast and lunch every school day—possibly their only hot meals of the day. Over the last four years, The Hunger Coalition has worked with 12 individual community service organizations to ensure that no child or individual goes hungry.
Over the last year we have served hungry children and individuals over 2,000 times. Of those served, 70 percent were white, 27 percent Latino and 3 percent other. Children represented 43 percent of those served, nearly half of them between the ages of newborn to 5 years of age.
We could not accomplish all we do without the continued support of this community. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all those who participated in our recent fundraiser at Gilman Contemporary. I watched with gratitude and amazement as we exceeded our goal of $20,000. We then received an additional $10,000 pledge for community members to match. Thanks to your help, we continue to keep hunger at bay. During this season of giving, I hope each of you will join me in appreciating our many blessings, and will share some with others.
Jeanne Liston
Blaine County Hunger Coalition
