BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – A few local organizations are doing their best to make sure everyone has enough to eat during this most recent winter storm.
For most kids, a snow day is a joyous occasion.
While for others that rely on school food programs for consistent nutrition, it can be an unwelcome surprise.
“It’s hard to learn nowadays and then when you come in and wondering if there’s going to get breakfast, or supper, it’s not fair to the kids,” says Deb Schneider, with the Pulaski Area Community School District.
She works with the Pulaski Area Community Education Program to provide backpacks of food to students in the district.
“They’re packed with kid-friendly, easy to make food,” she explains. “We hand them out to all seven of our area school and the private schools to students who seem to be coming into the office, and just seem to be hungrier than the other kids.”
According to Schneider, their typical number of providing food for around 100 students per week is on the rise due to a number of factors.
“This year, whether it’s because of the weather and the longtime kids are at home or with the government shutdown, and a few layoffs in town we’ve been handing out more of those backpacks,” she says.
Another hot spot for food donations locally is Paul’s Pantry.
They typically see an increase in traffic when severe weather hits.
“The last snow storm we saw 234 households come in that particular day, so it does get a lot busier,” explains executive director Craig Robbins.
He hopes the pantry will be able to stay open during the storm so they are available to those that need their services.
“We want to be here for anyone who needs food and for some they can only come on a particular day,” says Robbins. “But with the snow that’s a different story and when it’s not safe for people to be out, we don’t want people to be out.”
Both organizations are in need of continued donations from the community, in order to continue their services.
