It’s a problem that affects close to 75,000 children just in Broward County. In Miami-Dade, the problem is even worse.
One Pembroke Pines mother is trying to change that by feeding kids on the weekends, one bag at a time.
Meet Peytyn Tobin. This school year, she has been heading up her program, Pack-A-Sack. It’s been around for 9 years, each year- it grows and helps feed thousands of children sending home bags so they can have food on the weekends when they can’t rely on school lunches. It’s a grassroots effort.
“Go to the cupboard and there be nothing there. It’s not something, ‘I don’t want to eat but there’s nothing to eat’,” Peytyn Tobin tells NBC 6 morning anchor, Sheli Muñiz.
A report by Feeding America says in Broward County, there are more than 74,000 children who come from food-insecure homes. In Miami-Dade, it’s worse with close to 110,000 children, that’s 20% of children.
“And so, when they don’t have food they can’t learn,” Peytyn said.
With the help from volunteers at Rotary & Kiwanis Clubs to high school seniors, they fill and deliver hundreds of bags a week.
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“She is just so influential. She has such a good impact on not just women but kids,” said Brooke Waesworth, a college freshman who returned for the summer to volunteer.
The boxes come complete with drawings done by preschool children at the church.
“What we really want to make sure is that every child that receives a bag of food or box of food knows that they are loved,” said Peytyn. Also, that they can achieve anything, one step at a time, or like Peytyn, one bag at a time.
This week’s bags were stocked a little heavier for the summer and includes some resources for parents.
If you want to help the group with donations or just learn more about Pack-A-Sack, go to https://www.facebook.com/PackaSack/
Peytyn was awarded the 2018 Changemaker Award by a non-profit in Broward County.
