
We have started a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for the purpose of generating sustainable private funds by selling cookbooks with our family recipes to feed hungry kids using existing programs so that the maximum percentage of funds raised are spent on children in need and not wasted on building new organizational infrastructures.
1 out of 5 Kids in the U.S. Goes to Bed Hungry Every Night
In just the Cincinnati, OH area alone, the Cincinnati Freestore/Foodbank (FS/FB) provides food for those in need in the 20 counties in SW Ohio, SE Indiana and No. Kentucky. One current program, focused on kids, is the Feeding America Backpack Program which is offered in about 50% of the schools within reach of the FS/FB. Each Pack costs $5.00 and current funding only allows for distribution to 10% of the children in need. Without a backpack, the children left out could have little to nothing to eat over the weekend.
Using the 20 counties included in the Greater Cincinnati service area, here are a few statistics:
- Total students enrolled in schools K-12: 145,000
- Number of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch: 113,100
- 78% of the students enrolled in public schools are in need
- Of the 188 schools within reach, Food-Filled Backpacks* are available in about 100 schools
- Currently we can only meet 10% of the need within the 100 schools
* Cincinnati FS/FB calls backpacks - power packs. Children who qualify for free or reduced price breakfast or lunch can qualify to take home a pack of about 15 non-perishable food items so that they will have food to eat over the weekend