Thousands of children around West Michigan face going home to empty cupboards every single night. In fact, according to the Kids' Food Basket, one in five kids is affected by hunger. With the help from wonderful donations and the communities support, through their Sack Supper mission, the organization now feeds 7,500 children in the greater Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Holland areas. One big supporter is Forest Hills Financial, through volunteering and hosting a golf outing every year. Last year their outing raised $20,000 for Kids' Food Basket.
These meals don't just magically appear; it takes all kinds of man hours to put them together. With in mind, Jaime Westenbarger, with Forest Hills Financial, teams up with East Leonard Elementary School students for the "Trail Mix Project". Some of the school children are on the receiving end of these sack suppers so the lesson is to teach them that they don't just show up with the waving of a wand. A lot of prep work goes into getting these sack suppers around.
Teaching the kids how to give back at an early age to the Kids' Food Basket is a lesson that Westenbarger hopes will stick with them later in life, too.
