A recent donation from the Pierce County chapter of Lawyers Helping Hungry Children amounts to more than half of the money Eatonville Family Agency needs for its food program for local students. The donation of $15,644 will be used to support the backpack programs at schools in the Eatonville School District, according to Alana Smith, executive director of the Family Agency. "This very generous donation will allow us to provide food and hope to many children in need. We are deeply grateful for this significant gift and support,GÇ¥ Smith said. Lawyers Helping Hungry Children held its seventh annual breakfast fund-raiser Nov. 3 at Bates Technical College in Tacoma. The event, hosted by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Susan Serko, was attended by more than 200 attorneys and judges who contributed more than $32,000 GÇô more than twice the amount raised in 2014 GÇô for emergency food programs in Pierce County. The proceeds were divided between Eatonville Family Agency and YWCA of Pierce County. Family Agency, the major hunger-relief organization of Eatonville and southeast Pierce County (serving the populace in an area spanning 580 square miles), is challenged to obtain enough food to fill each backpack, Smith said. She noted the program costs about $24,000 a year. Individually packaged meals and snacks cost more than larger or bulk items, but with the lawyers' donation, "we will be able to purchase large quantities of food. Pallet sizes," Smith said. "This is a dream come true for us, to purchase food in these quantities. With this donation, we'll be able to." About 80 children in need are sent home each weekend during the school year with a backpack full of kid-friendly food for six meals GÇô 12,490 meals last year alone. Recently, the agency received 25 crock pots from United Way and community members. The crock pots will be used by children and their families for preparing nutritious meals. "We are beginning to work with the school district in teaching kids to prepare meals using a crock pot and food items available from the backpack food program" and the Family Agency-run food bank," Smith said. While focusing on alleviating hunger, "we will be able to provide better supplementary nutritional food items," she added. Lawyers Helping Hungry Children was founded in 1991 by attorney Robert Mussehl and originally was called Washington State Lawyers Campaign for Hunger Relief. The members use resources and professional skills to fund anti-hunger programs and be advocates for children. For children, hunger affects everything from healthy growth to the ability to learn in school and emotional and psychological health. What's more, children who have experienced hunger continue to lag behind their peers, even into adulthood, Smith said.
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