Childhood Hunger Initiative

Project Details

Four dollars is all it takes to feed one Siouxland student over the weekend. That's less than the cost of a latte to ensure that a 5-11 year old child in our community has food to eat over the weekend. $16 will sponsor a student for one month. $70 will keep that child nourished over the weekend for a semester and $140 will pay for an entire year of meals. 

The Food Bank of Siouxland is committed to ensuring that the future of our community is the best it can be by taking care of our most vulnerable demographic. Kids are the future, but how can kids reach their full potential if they’re hungry? We know that our children cannot properly grow and develop without the good nutrition. We also know that children at-risk of hunger are more likely to struggle in school.

The Food Bank of Siouxland is committed to meeting the need of the nearly 11,000 children at-risk of hunger in our communities. We launched our BackPack Program: Food for Kids in 2006, and have continued to grow that program as part of our Child Hunger Initiatives.

Many children in our community depend on school lunches to ensure that they have at least one meal each day. The Food Bank of Siouxland steps in with our Childhood Hunger Initiatives to fill in the gaps when school meals aren't available. From providing meals for students to take home over the weekend through our BackPack Program: Food for Kids to helping families put food on the dinner table with our Mobile School Pantry Program: Food for Families, help us help kids succeed with a full belly and proper nutrition!

Donate today to give kids in the Siouxland the chance they deserve!

COVID-19 Relief for Kids

Project Details

Focusing is hard when you're hungry. If you've ever tried to concentrate on anything when your stomach is rumbling then you know how hard it can be. Many school aged kids in the Siouxland community deal with this every day. We know that our children can not properly grow and develop without the proper nutrition. We also know that children at-risk of hunger are more likely to struggle in school.

The Food Bank of Siouxland is committed to meeting the need of the nearly 11,000 children at-rish of hunger in our communities. We launched our BackPack Program: Food for Kids in 2006, and have continued to grow that program as part of our Child Hunger Initiatives.

Many children in our community depend on school lunches to ensure that they have at least one meal each day. The Food Bank of Siouxland steps in with our Childhood Hunger Initiatives to fill in the gaps when school meals aren't available. From providing meals for students to take home over the weekend through our BackPack Program: Food for Kids to helping families put food on the dinner table with our Mobile School Pantry Program: Food for Families, help us help kids succeed with a full belly and proper nutrition!

Donate today to give kids in the Siouxland the chance they deserve!

Fighting Hunger ... Nourishing Siouxland

Project Details

The Food Bank of Siouxland is leading the fight against hunger, but we need YOUR help to continue to do that every day!

But who could be hungry in Siouxland? ... Our summer 2018 intern went out and spoke with some of those struggling with hunger. We share parts of those stories below. You can read more by visiting our website and reading the full "Voices of Hunger" booklet under the "About Us" drop-down button. 

• Sherry, a cancer survivor and mother of three - Treatments made it unbearable for Sherry to work which meant bills began to pile up. Her local food pantry helped keep food on the table for the whole family and provide the nutrition she needed to get better. Now healthier, Sherry volunteers at her local food pantry.
  
  
• "I worked my whole life on a farm but since I was a farm wife I never put anything into social security." Donna talks about her struggles when her husband passed away unexpectedly and how utilizing a food pantry helps her purchase needed medication.
  
  
• Larry, an 82 year old father, continues to care for his disabled child and feed his family thanks his local food pantry. He even finds the time to give back and volunteer at that pantry that helps him.

Most of us look around seeing the fields of corn and soy beans and wonder, "how can people be going hungry here in the Midwest?" Sherry, Donna, Larry, and many others help shed light on the issue of hunger and food insecurity in Siouxland. In the 11 county service area of the Food Bank of Siouxland, there are over 25,000 food insecure individuals, including nearly 11,000 hungry children! With rising costs of living, so many are either living on edge of poverty daily or have been pushed over that edge due unexpected medical bills, car repairs, and more.

With YOUR support, we can help the Sherrys, Donnas, and Larrys of Siouxland. With a distribution of over 2.5 million pound of food this fiscal year, your support is needed more than ever! Our goal is to raise $7,500 through the Big Give "Fighting Hunger...Nourishing Siouxland" campaign. That equates to 97,500 pounds of food to help hungry families. Every dollar counts. Every dollar equates to 13 pounds of food for those in need. Please give knowing you are helping neighbors, friends, and family.

Good nutrition is our top priority ... the top two food categories distributed are meat and produce thanks to our focus on providing necessary proteins and fresh produce to those faced with hunger.

View the full "Voices of Hunger" brochure here: https://siouxlandfoodbank.org/about-2/voices-of-hunger/

Nourishing Siouxland

Project Details

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Despite news of an improved economy and lower unemployment numbers, the Food Bank of Siouxland is still seeing an upward trend that sets monthly records for distribution and more people seeking food assistance than ever before in our 27 year history. It can be shocking that in our country, in Northwest Iowa and Northeast Nebraska, this kind of hunger can still exist. Unfortunately underemployment, wages that don’t allow for a balanced budget, medical costs, and other expenses are all factors that can tip a family budget over the edge. The sad news is that there are 25,670 food insecure individuals living in our Siouxland community and 11,030 of them are children at risk for hunger. Far too many meals are being missed, and far too many people are worrying about how they will get enough food for their nutritional needs and that of their families. With your support, we can provide that nutritional support that our children, our senior citizens, and all individuals need. The Food Bank distributes over 2 million pounds of food per year to those in need, but we need your support to continue. Your support is needed to make sure we can provide nearly 2 million meals to the hungry in our community. Your support is needed to make sure we can continue to provide the quality nutrition needed for those going hungry to be healthier by providing much needed protein (over 400,000 pounds in FY’17) and fresh produce (over 300,000 pounds in FY’17) to balance the diets of those in need.