OGDEN, Utah — A community group is fighting a battle against childhood hunger.
Catholic Community Services is using its mobile food pantry to deliver groceries to children at nine schools in Weber County.
The program is called “Bridge the Gap.” It aims to provide families in need with enough food to make it through the weekend.
“Ogden has some of the highest need of food insecurity in the state,” said Durrell Annis with Catholic Community Services. “Even in our food pantry, we have about 2,500 families coming monthly.”
The pantry and its volunteers visit schools on Fridays and supply each child with 10 pounds of food.
“We are here to help bridge that gap from Friday lunchtime to Monday morning breakfast,” Annis said. “What keeps us pushing is helping the kids and their families.”
The food provides students with a lifeline to better nutrition and improved studies.
“If your basic needs aren’t met, it’s hard to focus on what the teacher is asking you to do,” said Principal Jim Mieure at Heritage Elementary. “They do have a big impact in helping our kids.”
Utah Food Bank reports one in five Utah children are unsure where they’ll get their next meal.
More information on the Bridging the Gap program can be found on Catholic Community Services' website.
