Most kids look forward to three-day weekends and school vacations. But for those who don't have enough to eat, those breaks from school can bring them to tears, knowing they will go hungry until school is back in session. Many of the students who rely on school meals throughout the week don't have enough food at home each weekend. That's where Bite 2 Go comes in.
Over 50% of Spokane's school kids live below the federal poverty line and depend on school meals during the week. But what about on weekends? Each Friday, students receive Bite 2 Go kits filled with enough meals and snacks to take home.
Bite 2 Go began in 2011 to help fill nutritional gaps for kids by providing them with these weekend meal kits. The Bite 2 Go program has grown since then and now serves over 4,200 children at 71 schools throughout Spokane County. Bite 2 Go has reached their goal of helping every elementary school in Spokane County, which means they are now focusing their attention on expanding into every local middle and high school. They recently launched their new program for older kids, Bite2Go XL. Three pilot schools —Lewis & Clark, Mt. Spokane, and Mead— have partnered with local businesses and churches to feed students over the weekends. The program is student led and student run.
A few weeks ago, Becky and Betti joined our friends from At the Core for one of their massive Big Build events. Twice a year, 400 volunteers gather to assemble weekend food kits for the program. In one day, the volunteers build 12,000 kits. That sounds like a lot of food, but this is only enough to last one month!
Thankfully, Second Harvest hosts