Feeding children in our #RANoHungryChild initiative can take many forms: sometimes families are served fully-prepared meals at a shelter or soup kitchen. Children are often sent home from school with extra food through a local nonprofit. And families have received pre-packed bags or boxes of food at local food banks. The Salvation Army recently took a different approach in Guam and we wanted to lend a hand.
As Events Manager Alex Vincent learned, not all food banks are the same. In Guam, The Salvation Army has revamped their food bank outreach into a new program they call the Client Choice Food Program. While the array of offerings might sound familiar — various shelf-stable canned foods and dry goods, along with produce as available — the Client Choice approach is different. Families have the opportunity to “shop” at the food bank, selecting the foods that are best suited for their particular family’s needs. This approach accomplishes two things: it reduces waste by helping ensure that families will actually use all of the food they leave with, and more importantly, it helps reinstate a sense of dignity and normalcy in the families’ lives.
Through your generosity, Random Acts was pleased to contribute $2,000 to The Salvation Army Guam Corps, specifically in support of their Client Choice Food Program. Thank you for helping not only to feed children of families in crisis, but also to help restore the important feelings of control and dignity. This is a critical step in getting families out of crisis and back into healthier circumstances.