VIDEO: Making Sure Children Are Getting The Proper Nutrients Needed

CRAWFORD, Miss. (WCBI)-The summer season is upon us.

While many may be enjoying some fun in the sun, it’s important for everyone to stay hydrated and get the proper nutrients they need, specially children.

To help with that, the city of Crawford held its annal Summer Food Service Program Kickoff.

The program is designed to provide meals for children who aren’t able to get them at home.

“We know they need nutrition, we know they need healthy food,” said Sharon McAlister, community relations Representative for Magnolia Health.

However, Mcalister said in the Magnolia state, kids not getting the proper nutrients they need is becoming a big problem.

“Most counties in Mississippi you can tell how big of a problem it is when you just see how many kids at school get free and reduced lunch,” said McAlister.

And she said that problem becomes even worse in the summertime.

“It’s a huge problem,” she said. “Parents may be absent, they may be working and their children only have what they can put together for themselves, and very often that’s going to be a bag of chips.”

“Some kids go all night long, I have witnessed it without any food,” said LaTasha Farmer, assistant director for the Summer Food Service Program.

Farmer works at community centers to help provide meals to kids who aren’t fortunate enough to get them at home.

“I don’t know what goes on at home, but i Know what can happen when they come to the center. When they make it to the center I know there’s shelter, there’s food, there’s learning,” said Farmer.

The food service program along with community centers  are working together to help combat this problem.

“We know that this program provides nearly three million meals, that’s almost 40 thousand meals a day,” said McAlister.

Even though the program is making a lot of progress, McAlister has one key piece of advice to help with this problem even more.

“For parents and grandparents, if you know you’re going to be gone, if you know that child is going to be home alone, find a summer food program near you and get these children in that program,” she said.
The Summer Food Service Program works with community centers in Lowndes County, Noxubee County, and Crawford.

If anyone is interested in joining the program or a community center, visit http://www.mennonitemission.net/SERVE/SOOP/SERVICEOPPS/Pages/SOOPMaconOpp001Volunteer.aspx for more information.