Reducing Food Reducing Food Insecurity in Billings Insecurity in Billings

SD-2SD-2Virginia Lee Mermel, PhD, CNSVirginia Lee Mermel, PhD, CNS

BackPack Meals & Teen Pantry BackPack Meals & Teen Pantry ProgProg

Recognizing the Issue“Improving school meals is fine, but the real nutrition problem is the number of students who don’t get dinner or weekend meals.”

2007 SD-2 Food Security Stats

October 2007• DOW >14,000

• Unemployment < 1%

• 24% (~ 3700) Free or Reduced cost school meals

• 12% weekend hunger

MT’s Hidden Hunger MT’s relatively

low unemployment rate masks surprisingly high rates of poverty & hunger due to low paying jobs

Looked for BackPack Program Support

• Local emergency food entities DEALT w ADULTS ONLY!

SD-2 Great Recession Hunger Stats

• ~ 37% of students (>6100) receive F & R meals

• More qualify but don’t participate

• > 5100 Free Meals

Billings BackPack Prog Stats ‘09 to ‘13:

• 520/weekend 1st yr

• 350 down to 245* 2nd-3rd yrs

• 280-340 4th yr

• 216-236 this yr

Billings Teen Pantry Stats Fall ‘11 to ‘13:~ 100 7th-12th graders use 6 Teen Pantries each weekend since Oct 2011

Summer Leaves Kids Hunger Challenged

#1 issue: getting kids in need to feeding sites

Summer 2013 Interventions

Salvation Army• > 600 meals/wk night

So & No sides

• Summer meals to Big Sky & Meadow Lark areas

Church Pantries • Peace Lutheran-onsite

• Grace Methodist-onsite

• St Pius stocked Tumbleweed Teen Pantry

Summer 2013 Interventions

Tumbleweeds Center &

• Food, toiletries, laundry counseling

Mobile Unit

Lesson: Contact Faith Based Groups

Discuss Directed & Specific Food Bank Sunday donations

What Works Operationally?

Use: • Proven

Practices

• Existing Systems/Infrastructure

What Works when Fund Raising?

Talk, Talk, Talk:

Connect hunger to individual & societal costs

“Fed, Fit & Ready to Learn so they grow to be adults who are ready to earn”

Dropouts are at > Risk of:•Substance abuse

•Criminal activity

•Incarceration

•Teen PG

•Generational Poverty

What Works for Fundraising?Know Your:• Stats

• Goals

• Outcomes

5th-Year Goals BackPack Prog participation to 50-

100 students

• Demonstrate in standardized test scores

dropout rate in Title 1 neighborhoods

Early Outcomes• Significant reduction in students’ sense of

stress and behavior problems elementary student discipline issues• Older elementary students report less stress• 5-8 more students graduate high school/year

BackPack Program Connected to other Anti-

Poverty Prog

• School Food Ser.

• Homeless Liaison

• Graduation Matters

• Health Dept

• City Community Development Dept

Thank You , for Thank You , for Your Time and Your Time and

Interest!Interest!