While some kids get excited for school to let out for summer, others worry. Children who live with food insecurity often rely on free meals at school to get by, and without school, organizations including the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank shift into high gear to create as many options as possible for kids to receive meals.

It’s one of the reasons the food bank is proud to partner with KDKA-TV, Giant Eagle and Citizens Bank for this year’s Feed the Kids Telethon. The telethon airs June 2. For every dollar that’s donated, Citizens Bank will match donations up to $40,000. In 2020, the telethon raised $154,754.

In honor of the Feed the Kids Telethon, the food podcast hosted a guest who truly sees how food insecurity impacts young people. Joyce Weber is the food services director at Baldwin-Whitehall schools and she says her team is giving out more meals than ever before.

Right now, every child in the school district is eligible for free meals regardless of economic status. Weber says, since they opened eligibility the amount of meals she provides to children has tripled.

“I’ve seen students in my 30 years take food home. They will pack it into their pockets cause they’re saving it for later. It’s so heart-wrenching that there are some children in the Pittsburgh Area that literally worry about, ‘When I go home will I have enough food. So maybe I’m not going to eat my donut and my cereal. I’ll eat my cereal at school but I’m putting my donut in my pocket so I can eat that later,’” said Weber.

In the Elementary school alone, Weber says they distribute 1,825 meals per day in person. During drive-up distributions on Wednesdays, the district gives out 7,000 meals a week to kids, which includes a 7-day meal pack filled with breakfast and lunch for the week.

“We have parents that are so appreciative and thankful. A lot of times during our food distributions, we have the opportunities to hear from families as they pick up their meals,” said Weber.

“We are seeing and hearing from parents that there is definitely a need, whether they’ve lost their jobs, whether their hours are cut or they’re working from home. There are just some heartbreaking stories. In some cases, parents, because they’re homeschooling their children, had to give up their jobs which hurts them financially.”

In the high school, the school provides had breakfast carts in the hallways so when the kids came off the bus they’d be able to grab a bag and take it with them. Weber says these subtle changes are helping kids deal with any prior stigmas that come with receiving food.

“We often can’t see what’s really going on in a child’s life and in some cases it’s a matter of insecurity that they don’t want others to know what’s happening in their life or in their home. Even though you may see a high school student who seems like thy have it all together and they’re the popular child … don’t be fooled. You don’t really know what’s going on behind the scenes. There are a lot of children and I’m not just talking elementary, that are facing food insecurities. You may not know and you may never be able to identify them, but it’s important to know that children need our help.” Said Weber.

Weber says she worries about kids getting food during the summer months and summer meal programs provide a safety net for children who otherwise would go without food.

To support the food bank in its mission to give kids access to food, you can visit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank online.

Listen: The Food Podcast talks with Joyce Weber at Baldwin-Whitehall schools.

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