GOSHEN – Elementary school children in Orange County who are food
insecure will be able to enjoy nutritious meals on the weekends.
County Executive Steven Neuhaus announced the launch of “Orange
Cares,” on Wednesday.
The program to provide school backpacks with balanced meals to tide children over on weekends. It is in partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
A limited number of schools in the county already have a similar program, but now the county has set as a goal over 800 elementary school children in 22 high-needs schools with $375,000 in funding.
Nutritious food has proven to be beneficial for the learning power of children, said Food Bank Executive Director Mark Quandt.
“It has increased attendance; kids are going to school on a more regular basis; they are performing better in school and they have fewer disciplinary problems in school, so the kids are really being impacted by it,” Quandt said.
Neuhaus first got the idea of the program after he was in Africa on a
military mission and saw the childhood starvation and then came home and
saw hunger locally.
The county will provide the funding over a two-year period with hopes that private sector businesses will join in the effort in future years.
