When children qualify for free/ reduced school meal programs, it is because their parents are unable to consistently provide enough food, and thus school meal programs become a very critical safety net. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that students get up to half of their daily calories at school[i], and when school is dismissed for winter break, these already- vulnerable students lose those crucial calories needed for growth and survival, because the school breakfasts and lunches don’t go home with them. For impoverished students, winter break often means a week or more of serious food insecurity… while everyone else enjoys the holidays.
That is where Lyle’s Lunchbox comes in. We partner with local food pantries to provide support–specifically, enough breakfasts, lunches, drinks, and snacks to get hungry students through winter break.
Every child in our program receives breakfast, lunch, drinks, and snacks for each school day they are on break. We incorporate healthy options, including fresh fruit, low-sodium soups, skim milk, and low sugar cereals whenever possible, all in a beautiful reusable bag with a logo designed by a child, specifically for our students. Because no child should go home to hunger over winter break.