{"id":11704,"date":"2022-04-18T17:59:27","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T17:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/ohio\/?p=11704"},"modified":"2022-04-18T18:00:16","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T18:00:16","slug":"blog-a-midwest-community-comes-together-to-feed-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/ohio\/2022\/04\/18\/blog-a-midwest-community-comes-together-to-feed-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"BLOG: A Midwest Community Comes Together to Feed Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Brad Kraft understands the impact school meals have on the future of kids.<\/p>

\u201cLittle Johnny that goes through our [lunch] line, one day is gonna be that paramedic; he’s gonna be that fireman; he\u2019s gonna be that policeman that saves your life,\u201d he shared. \u201cThey’re gonna take care of us. So, it’s a big thing.\u201d<\/p>

Kraft is the food service director at Sandusky City Schools in Ohio. In this community on the shores of Lake Erie, everybody, from the churches to the fire department, cares deeply about ensuring kids have the meals they need.<\/p>

The pandemic showed the community the extent of the need families experienced. Kraft and his team knew some families in the community experienced poverty and even homelessness, but he had not seen it first hand until he went to deliver meals to kids during the school closures.<\/p>

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\u201cThat broke my heart because you don’t actually believe it until you actually see it,\u201d he said after witnessing a family living in a motel. \u201c[It was] one little bed, two adults and six kids all laying on the floor\u2026As soon as we opened the door and walked in with the bags of food, they were like, \u2018Oh my gosh, our lunch and breakfast is here. Oh my gosh.\u2019 They come up, little kids start, grabbing the bags and they go over there, start pulling stuff out and start eating. I felt like they hadn’t eaten in weeks.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s very sad to see that,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s very sad to see kids living like that. It\u2019s not their fault.\u201d<\/p>

Luckily the community came together like never before.<\/p>

Kraft remembers being called into a city building in March of 2020. \u201cWhen I walked inside, there was a humongous rectangle table with about 50 people there. And they all stopped, got quiet and looked at me and said, \u2018There’s a food man. There’s a guy we’re looking for.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

Within hours, they had a plan to feed their kids. Kraft said it was \u201cthe biggest thing he had ever seen in Sandusky.\u201d It didn\u2019t matter if it rained or snowed, or how many setbacks they faced, they ensured kids had the meals they needed in this moment of crisis. The long hours and commitment from the community were a life-saver for kids.<\/p>

Families are still feeling the economic impact of the pandemic in Sandusky, Ohio, but Kraft and his team continue to rely on members of the community to ensure kids not only receive the best quality meals, but also learn about food and where it comes from.<\/p>

Kraft is proud of the food he serves.<\/p>

\u00a0\u201cKids say \u2018Oh my God, this is like a restaurant!\u2019\u201d He shares. \u201cI’m like, \u2018well, that’s what it’s supposed to be.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

He has partnered with local farms to ensure kids can access fresh produce and milk. And with the support of teachers, he has taken first and second graders to the farms to learn where food comes from and to take fresh bags of produce home. Kraft says it\u2019s magical to see kids realize that carrots don\u2019t come from a supermarket shelf but from the ground, or when kids get to pick items from the field.<\/p>

With the support of No Kid Hungry<\/a>, Kraft is expanding these learning opportunities to the classroom. He wants kids to learn about healthy eating, so they can be the best they can be. He will have tasting opportunities with kids and take them on more field trips to local farms.<\/p>

Currently, there are 155 families experiencing homelessness in the district. Kraft\u2019s goal is to connect these families to the resources they need to improve their situation and to continue sharing the joy of meals with their kids.\u00a0<\/p>

But he knows there are so many families all over the country experiencing similar challenges.<\/p>

\u201cIt’s kinda disturbing\u2026 It gives me anxiety a little bit wondering, how many kids out there didn’t get dinner tonight?\u201d he shared \u201cAre they gonna have food at home? Are they not gonna have it? I wish I could solve all the problems in the world. I know you can’t, but I can try.\u201d<\/p>

You can also make a difference<\/a>\u00a0in the lives of children across the country. In a message of gratitude to the donors that made No Kid Hungry\u2019s grant possible, Kraft expressed, \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for them, kids wouldn\u2019t have what they have right now\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brad Kraft understands the impact school meals have on the future of kids. \u201cLittle Johnny that goes through our [lunch] line, one day is gonna be that paramedic; he’s gonna…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBLOG: A Midwest Community Comes Together to Feed Kids - OHIO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nkh-state-nkh-state.pantheonsite.io\/ohio\/2022\/04\/18\/blog-a-midwest-community-comes-together-to-feed-kids\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BLOG: A Midwest Community Comes Together to Feed Kids - OHIO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Brad Kraft understands the impact school meals have on the future of kids. \u201cLittle Johnny that goes through our [lunch] line, one day is gonna be that paramedic; 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