As a family advocate for the Richland Early Learning Center, Lisa Thompson has been on a mission to help as many children as she can.

Because whether or not people believe it, there are a lot of people in the Tri-City region who don’t get enough to eat—and many are young children.

Last year, Thompson was able to take advantage of a program called Bite2Go, which provided weekend food kits to young children in need. The items in the kits are kid-friendly and easy-to-open. They include shelf-stable foods, milk, cereal, veggies and snacks, among other items.

The nonprofit Second Harvest was able to bring on the early learning center in late spring as a result of some emergency funding and grants. But the fund is now exhausted, and Thompson and her colleagues are trying to find other resources to support the program this school year.

“All the preschools in the district are under our roof,” Thompson said. “Families are struggling. Last year we served 75 families.”

And those are the families of preschoolers who accepted the help. Thompson said there are many other families, who because of their culture, values or pride, won’t.

“I expect that the need will grow,” she said. “I do know we’re adding another school. And adding another school will likely add another seven to 10 children.”

The Richland Early Learning Center isn’t alone in needing additional funding to continue the program, as a number of local schools need one or more sponsors to restart the program for this year.  

Seventeen schools in the Tri-Cities received Bite2Go kits last year and Second Harvest distributed about 2,500 kits per month. Most schools last year began the program in mid-October or later. Second Harvest said it’s working with local schools and organizations to get funding in place as it ramps up the program.

Schools like Richland Early Learning Center are reaching out seeking help to fully sponsor their needs to restart Bite2Go.

Thompson estimates it costs $13,500 to feed 75 children.

Jean Tucker, development and marketing director for Second Harvest, said childhood hunger is not just a Richland problem, but a Tri-City-wide and regional problem.

“So many families are one or two paychecks away from a crisis,” Tucker said. “And no child should go hungry.”

But they do.

The facts are harsh:

• One out of 10 people in Benton and Franklin counties—including 1 in 5 kids—is food insecure (researched by Feeding America), meaning they don’t know where their next nutritious meal is coming from.
• More than 57 percent of kids in the Tri-Cities rely on free or reduced school meals.
• There are 15 Tri-City schools with 90 percent or more students receiving free or reduced meals.
• Hungry kids have less energy and lack focus, which may result in disruption in the classroom.

At the end of each school week, Bite2Go discreetly hands out food kits to qualified students to ensure they have something nutritious to eat for the weekend.

The program started in March 2015 in Spokane.

Every year, Second Harvest receives food donations in the millions of pounds, coming from organizations, farmers and others.

“We also purchase food items in bulk that can go into these kits,” Tucker said.

School teachers and counselors work with families to identify students in need. Permission slips are sent to parents, and the student’s identity remains confidential.

Twice a year, volunteers spend a day pre-assembling kits on days Tucker calls the “big build” at the Second Harvest distribution center at 5825 Burlington Loop in Pasco.

Volunteers then pick up those kits and deliver them to the school.

But here is the current situation: sponsorships are pretty low.

Businesses, groups, churches or individuals can step up to help fund Bite2Go.

 “We’re off to a slow start,” Tucker said. “It’s a relationship between a school and a sponsorship organization. But individual people can make a donation to a school.”

To feed one student for an entire school year costs $180.

“There really is a need in every school in the Tri-Cities,” Tucker said. “But the Tri-Cities is a very generous community. We are putting a call out to get organizations and schools to reach out and collaborate with sponsor organizations.”

Meanwhile, Thompson continues her search, not only for sponsors, but to find those children and families in need.

“I’ve hung up fliers in laundromats. I’m leaving them at schools,” she said. “We’re trying to catch them early. We’re using word of mouth. The Richland School District is notifying us of families in need. We have a huge need here.” 

Community members can sponsor a child for $15 per month, or donate any amount to support the program.

Donations for Bite2Go may be mailed to Second Harvest, P.O. Box 3068, Pasco, WA 99302 or go to 2-harvest.org/bite2go.

For more information, contact Kurt Beiswenger at 509-545-0787, or email Kurt.Beiswenger@2-harvest.org.