“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy …, ” or so the song goes. Except for many Houston-area school children, it isn’t easy. With about 80 percent of the Houston Independent School District’s kids in the subsidized breakfast and lunch program, many of our local kids will know hunger this summer. Some households simply can’t afford the extra meals.
Fortunately, there are people who are doing something about it. The 15-year-old Houston-based non-profit agency, Be A Champion, Inc., or BAC, receives funds from the Texas Department of Agriculture to offer free, healthful, organic meals to qualified children up to 18 years old. The organization is currently serving children in 80 locations, and about 8,000 meals day.
The Federal food program is the result of the national “Let’s Move” campaign initiated by First Lady Michelle Obama. Under a contract with the government, BAC provides the food, employees, management, distribution and refrigeration. There is no cost to the children, school district, summer camp, church or organization. Zero.
Founded by two former University of Houston football players, BAC also provides an extensive variety of during-school, after-school, tutorial and extended-day enrichment programs for at-risk youth. To date, BAC has worked with more than 1,515,450 local kids.
When BAC co-founders Jaron Barganier and James Hong launched the non-profit, they discovered some of the kids in their programs were malnourished. It was also apparent that it affected the kids’ concentration and behavior.
“Many of our community’s youth are not getting the healthy foods they need. In fact, some are not getting enough food at all,” said CEO Barganier. “Even those with enough to eat are not getting adequate fruits and vegetables. Then the kids become malnourished and that has a negative impact on their ability to learn. A malnourished child is an under-educated child.”
“It’s true,” added COO Hong. “During the school year, most of the children eat breakfast at school when they arrive, then eat lunch at 10:30 or 11:00 in the morning. By three in the afternoon, they are hungry. Really hungry. We bring in meals in the afternoons. During the summer, we send meals anywhere there are kids – community centers, summer schools, camps. Anywhere.”
“Think about how you feel when you are hungry,” Barganier continued. “In school, the results include kids losing the ability to focus. We offer free, healthy suppers to help. That way, when the kids go home to highly processed food, or empty cupboards, at least they’ve eaten their fruits and vegetables. They are in better health as a result.”
The suppers themselves are delivered directly to the kids. The food is fresh, attractive and individually sealed. Each contains items from a rotating menu such as sunflower seeds, baby carrots, string cheese, ham sliders and organic, locally sourced fruit.
“BAC has grown a lot over time, but we could get bigger,” said Barganier. “We could be serving in any school district, church or youth organization in the state. All the organizations need to do is call us.”
Would you like free, organic suppers served to kids in your community or a school near you? Call and say so! “Be a Champion” 281-833-3129. www.bachamp.org