Mirza Avdic, the Executive Director of the Hungry Hearts Foundation, was our guest speaker via Zoom on Friday, August 28th. Mirza has given other communities tips on how Hungry Hearts Foundation operates and is open to any community asking for similar information.
The organization started in 2010 as a program under the Lake Stevens Family Center with the name of Li'l Hungry Hearts. In 2011 the organization expanded to three elementary schools and in 2012 added another six more schools. By 2013, all ten Lake Stevens schools joined the program. In March 2015, the program separated from the Family Center and became a 501(c)(3) public charity as Hungry Hearts Foundation.
What HHF does: Donations, sponsors and volunteers help build the Hungry Hearts Foundation so that they can put food into backpacks and backpacks on hungry children. In Washington State, childhood hunger facts show that half of all Washingtonians on food stamps are kids and food-insecure children are 90% more likely to have their health reported as fair/poor. Further, food insecurity is linked to increased hospitalizations, developmental problems, headaches, stomach aches and even colds.
Why HHF does it: Teachers find that when children come to school hungry, they have an inability to concentrate, poor academic performance and behavior problems. In Washington, 1 in 5 kids live in a household that struggles to put food on the table.
HHF Progress: Operation Full Bellies on the go. Where HHF goes from here: Increase the quantity and quality of food they pack; school supplies; expand their storage capacity and install storage spaces in schools; participate in the summer feeding program and offer assistance in emergency situation to those "not" in their program.
Our Club has been a contributor to their effort each year and this summer, students from our Interact Club participated in outreach to the customers coming to local markets such as Haggen's. Again, Mirza is available to talk about and exchange ideas on how to start a similar program in other communities. If you know of a community looking for such a program, please have them contact the Hungry Hearts Foundation for assistance.