Rural and Hungry

Kristen Hanks, who works in the Fort Osage school district cafeteria program, hands out lunches at Susquehanna Baptist Church in Independence, Missouri, a government-funded summer meal site. For children in the Kansas City metro area, food insecurity rises in the summer, but food sites like these are rare in rural areas. (Lindsay Huth | Flatland

  The rush hits at noon. That’s when kids start pouring into the gym at Susquehanna Baptist Church. On a scorching Wednesday last month, they lined up to choose their lunches: pizza, subs or PB&J. Most picked pizza. The Independence, Missouri, church is one of more than 350 summer food sites around Kansas City that…

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Summer Meal Programs Work, But …

The quest to address childhood hunger in the Kansas City region unites concerned citizens of all types around one of the most admired programs in our area: BackSnacks Run by Harvesters — The Community Food Network, the program sends 19,000 needy children home from school with backpacks filled with weekend meals. As the largest program…

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