It is a distressing fact of life that children in increasing numbers are going to school without having a decent breakfast, or even a sandwich for lunch.
And it is also disturbing to hear about the increased number of families who are regular patrons of the local food bank.
How did we come to this, one might ask, but regardless of the circumstance of this evolution of need, there are agencies in the city doing all they can to help fill some empty stomachs.
Hunger in Moose Jaw is currently involved in the I Bought A Lunch campaign to raise $75,000 before Nov. 17. That money will help the agency to provide 2,000 school lunches per week, an increase from 60 lunches per week when the agency began 30 years ago.
Hunger in Moose Jaw officials note that lunches are no longer limited to elementary school students. Secondary school students are also registering in increased numbers, a sign that families are indeed struggling in the current economy.
Because of the support from the community, this lunch campaign fundraiser has been successful in past years and officials are confident that once again the goal will be reached. The money will help purchase the essentials for a nutritious lunch: a sandwich, a fruit, vegetable, snack and milk product. The lunch brigade requires 50 loaves of bread on a daily basis and 650 pounds of fruits and vegetables per week.
This campaign is supported by individuals, businesses, service clubs, and other groups in the city that designate Hunger in Moose Jaw as the recipient of their fundraising projects.
A few streets over in Moose Jaw, the Moose Jaw and District Food Bank is hoping the Better Together Food Drive at the end of the month will once again provide more than 50,000 pounds of food to help provide hampers for the equivalent of more than 5,000 households in Moose Jaw.
The food bank also depends on donations of food and cash when the Holiday Train visits the city in December, and looks to other campaigns throughout the year to allow families to receive essential food products during some difficult periods in their lives.
Hunger in Moose Jaw and the Food Bank will continue to require the support of Moose Jaw and district residents and if past campaigns are an indication, this community will step forward with both monetary and food donations required to meet the growing demand on these agencies.
It is our responsibility to ensure that no child goes hungry in this community.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
