MOULTRIE, Ga. (WALB) — A program in Colquitt County is working to make sure children don’t go hungry when school cafeterias are closed.

The Fill the Gap initiative is providing meals and basic necessities to students who need extra support on weekends and school breaks. The program is funded by United Way of Colquitt County.

Denise Pope, program coordinator with Fill the Gap, said children look forward to the support.

“They usually come to the school social worker and ask them, ‘Am I on a Monday? Am I going to receive my bag on a Friday?’ So they look forward to it. And they know that it’s something that is a security blanket for them,” Pope said.

Food insecurity in Georgia

According to data from Feeding America, about one in every five children in Georgia face hunger. Laura Keith, executive director of the Colquitt County Food Bank, said nearly 40% of people in Colquitt County are food insecure. That’s two in every five Colquitt County residents.

“When [students] leave school Friday afternoon, they really don’t have access to food until Monday morning when they get breakfast at school again,” Keith said. “We see a lot of people every day up here.”

Volunteers for Fill the Gap help pack different meals, snacks and drinks into bags for children in need to take home.

Darryl Acree, a Colquitt County citizen, said the program will help his kids when they are away from school for an extended period of time.

“Oh, this can help them a whole lot, a whole lot, because they can come here and get kids meals. It will help them a whole lot, especially during the summertime when school closes and them not know where they’re going to get their next meal from. They can come here,” Acree said.

The Fill the Gap initiative also provides hygiene products for kids along with the meals.

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