by Joan Singley Schrysen
Food insecurity plagues one out of every ten Florida households. Studies show that hungry children have impaired learning skills and increased behavioral and emotional problems. Once Forough Hosseini, local businesswoman and philanthropist, learned of the prevalence of hungry children in the Volusia County schools, she set to work crafting a plan to break this cycle of hunger for local students. Working collaboratively with social services and other groups, Mrs. Hosseini’s public charity Food Brings Hope created the afterschool TeenZone to nurture at-risk middle and high school students in body, mind, and spirit. Tutoring, enrichment activities, a nourishing evening meal, and achievement incentives spur students to academic success and enhance their access to higher education. Starting in 2007 at just one middle school, the program blossomed and soon spawned a KidsZone program for elementary students. Last year the two programs served over 1400 students in 24 schools. As the programs spread from one school to another, each site made adaptations to meet its needs. Pierson in rural Volusia County has a large migrant population with all its unique problems. Through Food Brings Hope, the Barbara Bush Family Literacy Program meets three days a week from 4 to 7 pm to break the cycle of intergenerational illiteracy. Parents learn English and reading skills beside their children, and all enjoy a nourishing evening meal. Established in 2016, this family literacy program has experienced enormous growth. Through collaboration with Daytona State College, parents now have the opportunity to explore GED and Adult Education Programs. The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy highlighted Food Brings Hope during the 17th Celebration of Reading event showcasing the program at Pierson. Over the years additional programs and refinements have been added to the core program. Families depending on the free school lunch program suffer increased food insecurity on weekends and vacations. Several years ago Food Brings Hope added the Weekend Feed-a-Family program. At the end of the week each family collects enough food to feed a family of four for the weekend. Another initiative is the HOPE (Helping Others Prosper through Education) Project. There is a significant number of unaccompanied homeless high school students in Volusia County. HOPE provides a safe place for them to live. Meals, mentoring, transportation and other services allow them to graduate from high school. For the future, Food Brings Hope set lofty goals. VCan2020 stands for Volusia County CAN wipe out youth hunger and homelessness by 2020. Hopefully Volusia can be the first county in the United States to be homeless-less. To learn more about Food Brings Hope, visit www.foodbringshope.org.