By: Michaela Gibson Morris
TUPELO • The community has stepped up to help the Tupelo/Lee County Hunger Coalition provide supplemental food for students and their families this summer.
Volunteers responded quickly to help the coalition pack 1,610 boxes for the Break Box program on May 20 and 21.
“We had a lot of corporate assistance,” as businesses sent groups of employees to help with the packing, said Jason Martin, coalition executive director.
The coalition is getting closer to its $20,000 fundraising goal to cover the expenses of providing 800 monthly supplemental food boxes to children and families who would be at risk of going without this summer. Through Friday, the group had received more than $14,000.
“We’re getting very close,” Martin said. “We’re still receiving donations.”
The coalition hoped to reach $20,000 by the end of the day Tuesday, which was World Hunger Day.
“We’re trying to get all our our expenses paid before we get to distribution,” Martin said.
The need for food assistance in Lee County is overwhelming. The 800 available slots for the Break Box program, which will provide food monthly in June, July and August, were filled very quickly when registration opened last week. The program is focused on students who receive free and reduced price meals during the school year but experience gaps in the summer months.
“We had 95 percent of slots filled within 24 hours,” Martin said.
Even with the program filled, the coalition is still receiving calls and referring families to local food pantries.
The coalition will need volunteers for a second set of packing days later this summer, and they will need volunteers to assist at the six distribution sites. Volunteers can sign up at tupeloleehungercoalition.org.
