Kids Against Hunger Event Aims at Opening Minds, Filling Stomachs

After typically nutritious breakfasts and lunches, Birmingham families, teachers and church members will work Jan. 17 to help people without full pantries.

In fact, many beneficiaries of a national Kids Against Hunger project on Martin Luther King Jr. Day don't have pantries, stoves or refrigerators.

"You probably think hunger means wanting a snack or meal," local organizer Kimber Bishop-Yanke told a assembly last month. "But for people in need, hunger means a daily lack of basic nutrition."     

That stark message is being heard at many of the city's 13 public schools as the district participates for the first time in an annual at , arranged by the Great Lakes Coalition of Kids Against Hunger, a Minnesota-based charity. The 12-year-old regional group, based in Oak Park, enlists volunteers of all ages to create meal packets from bulk supplies of four dry commodities.  

Bishop-Yanke, a Birmingham parent who got involved in 2004 and became a coordinator two years later, hopes for up to 400 pairs of hands to package 50,000 meals and attend 35-minute workshops on hunger and related diseases. teachers can participate as a paid community service day on the King holiday.    

The civil rights leader's birthday became a federal holiday 25 years ago, so this month's national day of service gains added visibility.

Life-saving nutrition packs

Assembly line work at Groves' cafeteria involves weighing and combining rice, fortified soy, dehydrated vegetables and powdered vitamins and flavorings into sealed packets for distribution by the Capuchin Soup Kitchen on Detroit's east side and Kenya Relief, an Alabama-based group that organizes missions to Africa.

When boiled in water, the meal ingredients provide easily digestible protein, carbohydrates and vitamins needed by undernourished children. The mix provides all nine amino acids required for complete nutrition.

, which has 1,300 members in Birmingham, also joins in this year for the first time. "It's important to raise awareness of our congregation and the community about hunger," says Adam Smart, outreach coordinator of the Troy-based church. "This is a reminder than a lot of people go without food."

The hands-on activity and workshops are an ideal way "to unlock our members' passion and show how they can get involved here in the community with others from Birmingham," adds Smart. Church members already are accustomed to visiting Groves, a satellite campus for Kensington since 2007. Three worship services are conducted there each Sunday.

'The best gift'

Church member Bishop-Yanke, founder of the Kids Empowered Coaching and Counseling Center in Birmingham, sees Kids Against Hunger events as a natural extension of the esteem-building messages she delivers to students and parents all year.

"The best gift we can give our kids is to show them they can make a difference. When our kids make a difference, they become more loving and caring and empathetic ," explains the 44-year-old, who has a master's degree in international management.

At Covington's assembly in mid-December, she told about 600 students in grades 3-8: "Malnutrition makes harder or impossible to recover from diarrhea and disease. Little babies are dying because they get colds. … There is enough food, but we're not using our power to get it to where it's needed."

Speaking forcefully and animatedly with the polish of a professional presenter,  Bishop-Yanke added: "The problem of hunger is solvable, and if we all work together we can solve it."

Need outpaces resources

Students also heard from Donald Burwell, 73-year-old founder of the regional Kids Against Hunger coalition. "Local need is increasing because of the economy," said Burwell, who has two doctorate degrees. "Demand is greater than our ability to keep up. The need is overwhelming."  

The messages reinforced a familiar theme at Covington, where "hunger is a school-wide issue this academic year," says Cindy Balicki of Beverly Hills, a part-time community relations coordinator. It's introduced as part of geography, literature and even math lessons. In preparation for the upcoming event, Kids Against Hunger cash gifts were collected.  

The international Kids Against Hunger slogan is "Feeding families around the world and around the corner," which is what Birmingham volunteers can help accomplish Jan. 17 from 1-6:30 p.m. in the high school at 20500 W. 13 Mile. Participants, who are asked to contribute $5 each or $15 per family, also can bring canned food for donation to City Mission, which serves Brightmoor area residents on Detroit's west side.

Registration is requested here, though drop-in volunteers are welcome.