The government shutdown has lasted 37 days as of Nov. 6, which has led to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits being cut from millions of Americans all across the U.S. In case there are some who are unaware as to what exactly SNAP benefits are, they are essentially food benefits for low-income American families so that those families can afford groceries. Approximately 42 million Americans received SNAP benefits before they were cut on Nov. 1 due to the government shutdown.
In order to help many of those Americans, Dare to Care has partnered with Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) to host a food drive lasting from Nov. 4 to Nov. 25. This will be extremely helpful for students at Ballard, because according to the Food Research and Action Center, one in seven households in America experience food insecurity, or lack of access to an affordable, nutritious diet. This is very significant because Ballard students could be one of those Americans, as well as their families. Without SNAP benefits, students’ home lives could even be negatively impacted due to stress about groceries/food. This could then lead to students doing worse in school, academically and socially.
A student at Ballard even recently requested that anyone and everyone should donate to the Dare to Care program, a link is posted on each grade level’s shared Google Classroom. Every dollar donated, according to the student’s message, gives two people a hot meal. If you would like to donate food instead of money, Dr. Neuss states that you can drop off highly requested items such as peanut butter, beans, cereal, rice, etc at the attendance/records office. If this becomes difficult for the attendance staff, Ballard may need to adjust the drop off spots.
Here is link to donate: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/dtc/team/1012111/
