Reducing Food Insecurity in Billings SD- 2 Virginia Lee Mermel, PhD, CNS BackPack Meals & Teen Pantry Prog.
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Reducing Food Reducing Food Insecurity in Billings Insecurity in Billings
SD-2SD-2Virginia Lee Mermel, PhD, CNSVirginia Lee Mermel, PhD, CNS
BackPack Meals & Teen Pantry BackPack Meals & Teen Pantry ProgProg
Recognizing the Issue“Improving school meals is fine, but the real nutrition problem is the number of students who don’t get dinner or weekend meals.”
2007 SD-2 Food Security Stats
October 2007• DOW >14,000
• Unemployment < 1%
• 24% (~ 3700) Free or Reduced cost school meals
• 12% weekend hunger
MT’s Hidden Hunger MT’s relatively
low unemployment rate masks surprisingly high rates of poverty & hunger due to low paying jobs
Looked for BackPack Program Support
• Local emergency food entities DEALT w ADULTS ONLY!
SD-2 Great Recession Hunger Stats
• ~ 37% of students (>6100) receive F & R meals
• More qualify but don’t participate
• > 5100 Free Meals
Billings BackPack Prog Stats ‘09 to ‘13:
• 520/weekend 1st yr
• 350 down to 245* 2nd-3rd yrs
• 280-340 4th yr
• 216-236 this yr
Billings Teen Pantry Stats Fall ‘11 to ‘13:~ 100 7th-12th graders use 6 Teen Pantries each weekend since Oct 2011
Summer Leaves Kids Hunger Challenged
#1 issue: getting kids in need to feeding sites
Summer 2013 Interventions
Salvation Army• > 600 meals/wk night
So & No sides
• Summer meals to Big Sky & Meadow Lark areas
Church Pantries • Peace Lutheran-onsite
• Grace Methodist-onsite
• St Pius stocked Tumbleweed Teen Pantry
Summer 2013 Interventions
Tumbleweeds Center &
• Food, toiletries, laundry counseling
Mobile Unit
Lesson: Contact Faith Based Groups
Discuss Directed & Specific Food Bank Sunday donations
What Works Operationally?
Use: • Proven
Practices
• Existing Systems/Infrastructure
What Works when Fund Raising?
Talk, Talk, Talk:
Connect hunger to individual & societal costs
“Fed, Fit & Ready to Learn so they grow to be adults who are ready to earn”
Dropouts are at > Risk of:•Substance abuse
•Criminal activity
•Incarceration
•Teen PG
•Generational Poverty
What Works for Fundraising?Know Your:• Stats
• Goals
• Outcomes
5th-Year Goals BackPack Prog participation to 50-
100 students
• Demonstrate in standardized test scores
dropout rate in Title 1 neighborhoods
Early Outcomes• Significant reduction in students’ sense of
stress and behavior problems elementary student discipline issues• Older elementary students report less stress• 5-8 more students graduate high school/year
BackPack Program Connected to other Anti-
Poverty Prog
• School Food Ser.
• Homeless Liaison
• Graduation Matters
• Health Dept
• City Community Development Dept
Thank You , for Thank You , for Your Time and Your Time and
Interest!Interest!
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