Summer offers no vacation from hunger in Minnesota, according to a top official who coordinates food assistance.
?What we're hearing from around the state, and mainly in the suburban areas, that food shelf usage continues to increase,? said Sue Kainz of Minnesota FoodShare. ?Which really surprises us, because they're telling us the economy is getting better. But, at the food shelf level, that is not happening. Food shelf usage continues to go up.?
The latest figures show food shelf use has grown 15-percent over the last year, because more working families, many with children, can't make ends meet, even on full-time salaries.
The end of the school breakfast and lunch programs during the summer months also puts a crunch on many low-income working families with children who lose their ?food safety nets,? Kainz said.
?A lot of times in the summer, we see larger families coming into food shelves, just because the kids are all home,? she said. ?There's not a lot of extra summer programs going on any longer, because of budget cuts. So families need to feed both kids and their families.?
Local food shelves are seeking donations ?kid friendly? food, such as macaroni and cheese, or soups and crackers, she said.
For more information
Visit the FoodShare website, www.minnesotafoodshare.org
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Summer offers no vacation from hunger in Minnesota, according to a top official who coordinates food assistance.
?What we’re hearing from around the state, and mainly in the suburban areas, that food shelf usage continues to increase,? said Sue Kainz of Minnesota FoodShare. ?Which really surprises us, because they’re telling us the economy is getting better. But, at the food shelf level, that is not happening. Food shelf usage continues to go up.?
The latest figures show food shelf use has grown 15-percent over the last year, because more working families, many with children, can’t make ends meet, even on full-time salaries.
The end of the school breakfast and lunch programs during the summer months also puts a crunch on many low-income working families with children who lose their ?food safety nets,? Kainz said.
?A lot of times in the summer, we see larger families coming into food shelves, just because the kids are all home,? she said. ?There’s not a lot of extra summer programs going on any longer, because of budget cuts. So families need to feed both kids and their families.?
Local food shelves are seeking donations ?kid friendly? food, such as macaroni and cheese, or soups and crackers, she said.
For more information
Visit the FoodShare website, www.minnesotafoodshare.org