Research indicates that even mild under-nutrition ... can lead to reductions in physical growth and cognitive ability.

Facts About Childhood Hunger

• Youngsters who participate in after school/summer programs where meals are served tend to earn better grades in school – have increased energy, less fatigue and improved concentration.

• Research indicates that even mild under-nutrition – too little food or not enough of the right foods – can lead to reductions in physical growth and cognitive ability.

• Arkansas ranks in the top four states having the highest rate of food insecurity among children under 18. Approximately 26% of our children live in poverty – compared to the national average of 17.5%.

Summer Kids

KIDS' PANTRY Report

Developed in 1997 to combat childhood hunger, Potluck’s KIDS’ PANTRY program is Arkansas’ only charitable out-of-school meal program created to ensure that economically disadvantaged children in our community and state have the opportunity to gain access to good food for daily meals when school is not in session – throughout the year.

This summer, the KIDS’ PANTRY fed over 2000 children a week in un/under-served areas of Little Rock, North Little Rock, Hensley, Sweet Home, Camden, Eudora, Strong and El Dorado, Arkansas. (Programs outside of Pulaski County retrieve food from Potluck once a week.)

From June through August – 23 sites feeding children 6 to 17 years of age received a total of over 10,300 pounds of food a week to help them put daily lunch and/or lunch and dinner meals on the table.

All food to KIDS’ PANTRY sites is mixed at headquarters* prior to distribution to ensure youngsters receive a wide variety of nutritious food for full and complete meals (to include snacks and dessert when possible). Perishable food donations – i.e. fresh sandwiches, salads, spreads, produce, cheese, etc. (to include fruit juice) are distributed to KP sites and other agencies in less than 24 hours. 

To learn more about the unique role Potluck’s KIDS’ PANTRY plays in combating childhood hunger call Potluck, (501)371-0303.

Throughout these hard times, Potluck has been a significant link between Arkansans in need of food and generous neighbors with the resources to help feed them.

Our first priority has been helping emergency food programs on the front lines meet increased needs, and to do that, it’s became especially important to put food donations to strategic use and get more food out to agencies where the need was the greatest.

By monitoring the number of clients our agencies are serving and how quickly that number was growing, Potluck has been able to identify a core group of agencies where demand for food most outpaced supply, and then target deliveries of additional food to them.
In addition to increased food deliveries to partners during the month, we’ve also focused on directing our resources on rescuing more food – to include picking up food seven days a week; sourcing the most nutritious food possible; enabling smaller donations to agencies so we can free up trucks for larger pick-ups and increasing our cold storage capacity.

Since the beginning of the year, thanks to support from 130 new and established donors, we’ve been able to help our network of community food programs – shelters, soup kitchens, day centers, pantries and KIDS’ PANTRY sites – feed over 7,000 children and adults a week in Pulaski, Quachita, Chicot, Lonoke, Union and Desha counties.

Rescuing excess food to help feed the hungry is not only logical, practical and the right thing to do – as our agencies can attest – it really works, and works well, often making the difference between putting a meal on the table or not.

Carol Herzog

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Shop Whole Foods September 2

Whole Foods created 5% Day as a way to give back to the community by supporting local, non-profit organizations with big hearts (and limited budgets) that strive to make the community a better place by addressing a host of social, environmental and/or educational concerns in an innovative, efficient and effective way to improve the lives of others.

Potluck and WFM have been partners in helping feed hungry Arkansans since 2005 and we’re grateful for this special opportunity to help us better meet community needs.