Food For Kids 2011



What if you had to wait two days to eat?

 

Mast General Store, Merrell Footwear, and The Health and Hunger Coalition are partnering to provide children in the High Country with weekend food, and you can help.  For each pair of Merrell shoes purchased at Mast Store October 1st through 16th, Merrell will fill a pack with food to feed a child for a weekend.

The Health and Hunger Coalition plays a vital role in our community, helping relieve poverty and hunger in a compassionate manner for families and individuals who
are experiencing economic hardship and food shortages. The Coalition’s help is imperative as Watauga, Ashe, and Avery counties have seen a 43% increase in need for food assistance since 2010.

During an average month, nearly 2,500 people receive food from the Hunger Coalition’s Food Pantry. One in three people served is a child under the age of 18. Three of their six programs are geared specifically to help alleviate childhood hunger in our area:

Snacks for Scholars provides healthy snacks to children of families that need food assistance. Healthy Start provides healthy snack bags to preschool age children attending Head Start. The Backpack Program also provides backpacks of food every Friday to high school children so they won’t have to go hungry over the weekend.

Will you please join The Health and Hunger Coalition’s mission by stopping by Mast General Store and outfitting yourself with a pair of Merrell shoes? You can walk proud knowing each step you take in your new Merrell shoes is one step closer to preventing childhood hunger in the High Country. Thank you.