Published: September 02, 2008 09:52 am            

Culli: NOW program shows commitment to our future

The first distribution of food for the Nutrition on Weekends program was held for the Labor Day weekend, with students receiving snacks and food to ensure they had meals while school was out of session.

The program began after the nutrition service staff at District 80 began to worry about some of the students not having a meal on the long weekends when they weren’t attending school. Once the need was identified, the program took off with the additional partners of the Park Avenue Food Pantry and the United Way of South Central Illinois. The NOW program has since received recognition from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Taking care of the needs of area youth is a priority, not just for the school system, but members of the community. The NOW program is only one of many programs that have sprung from a need among school children — Stuff the Bus and the Vision for Kids programs to name two others.

It’s one thing to say we care about the youth of our community, but actions and programs designed to fulfill real needs show we are committed to our future.

        

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