Hancock County charities hold food giveaway for children Saturday

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - Several Hancock County charities came together Saturday to help feed hungry children in our community. 100 Men Hall Director Rachel Dangermond said the food giveaway would not be possible without donations.

“When you tell somebody that a child needs a meal, people come out of the woodwork. You’d be very surprised at how generous people are,” Dangermond said. “They really open up their wallets. They open up their hearts, so we’ve really just had an outpouring of love for this effort.”

Bags of non-perishable food items were made available starting at the following locations: 100 Men Hall, Waveland Public Library, Kiln Public Library, and Pearlington Public Library.

In addition to food, the bags also contain art kits from the Arts Hancock County, notes of encouragement from the NAACP Youth & College Division teens, school supplies, masks, and Dangermond’s favorite part, love letter kits from The Writing Room at 100 Men Hall.

“I think writing a love letter to yourself is a great way to start. Start with appreciating who you are and the accomplishments you’ve had and it’s a good way to start the school year,” Dangermond said. “Everybody’s dreading the school year. There’s been a lot of tension and stress.”

The Food 4 Youth giveaway is hosted by the 100 WOMEN DBA, Christ Episcopal Church, and the Hancock Country NAACP Youth & College Division. Organizers said too many young people are food insecure in Hancock County. Food insecurity is defined as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources.

“Some children have parents that work all the time, and they are in homes that maybe don’t have food readily available to them,” Dangermond said. “The food we put in the bags is food that any child can prepare and schools are going to be doing distant learning and so the opportunity to have a cafeteria lunch isn’t going to be available to them.”

The groups ask that participants take what they need and leave the rest.

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