CULLMAN – Child hunger and food insecurity are such common realities that most of us cannot comprehend. Nearly one in four children in Cullman do not have access to the healthy food necessary to run, play and maintain the nourishment needed for proper physical and mental development. These are not the children of a small village on the other side of the world we see pleading for pennies a day in the wee hours of the morning on television. This is Cullman County. This is our home and these are our children. These are the friends of our children, their classmates and our future leaders. These children are our responsibility.
Thankfully, many agencies in our area provide services to the families who, for whatever reason, are unable to keep their pantries stocked for their children.
Last weekend, the North Alabama Agriplex, through its partnership with the Society of St. Andrew, invited volunteers to aid feeding our hungry children. By bagging over 9,000 pounds of sweet potatoes, the 60+ helpers supplied an essential link to ensure the children of Cullman had access to the crop, which would have gone to waste without the volunteers.
Also, after a year sabbatical, Cullman Caring for Kids will resume their annual yard sale beginning Wednesday, June 1 and running daily from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. through Saturday, June 4. The four-day event will be held at the Cullman County Fairgrounds in Exhibit Building 1 and will reportedly be the sale of the summer!
Tax-deductible donations are being accepted and are welcomed. Smaller items can be donated to the CCK office at 402 Arnold St. NE, Suite W-1 in Cullman. Assistant Director Nancy Bryant was busy filling her truck with donations on Monday to take to the storage warehouse to get ready for the sale. For the donation of larger items or larger quantities of donations, Bryant asks for a call to the office at 256-739-1111 so that arrangements can be made.
CCK opens its United Way Food Bank to the residents of Cullman County on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m.-noon each week. A bag full of groceries is all that some families need to make it to the next paycheck to keep food in the bellies of their little ones. The food bank is also located at the Arnold Street address.
Located at 303 Rosemont Ave. SW in Cullman, the school is at the intersection with Highway 278. Free to all children ages 18 years and under, breakfast will be available from 9-10:30 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. These meals are not dependent on a family’s income or the child’s school district. Adults meals will be available for a charge.
