STEAC partners with school, volunteers and local sponsors to address food insecurity
By ALMA CULVERWELL — city@theaggie.org
The Short Term Emergency Action Committee (STEAC) launched its annual Food Packs for Kids Campaign this fall, which ran from Aug. 18 to Sept. 19. The initiative provides healthy, non-perishable food items on weekends, when school meals are unavailable to children in Yolo County who face food insecurity.
STEAC began the program in 2016 in partnership with the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD), initially distributing about 25 food packs per week. Today, the program has expanded dramatically, providing more than 400 packs each week across Yolo County.
According to STEAC Food Program Coordinator Hana King, the need for this type of program remains urgent.
“People may not realize the level of food insecurity that Yolo County residents are facing,” King said. “An extensive report completed by Yolo Food Bank found that around 40% of households in the county with children face food insecurity.”
Each pack is designed with children in mind, filled with shelf-stable and easy-to-eat items such as macaroni and cheese, canned tuna or chicken, oatmeal, granola bars and applesauce. King further explained the thought process that goes into creating the food packs for children.
“The food bags are packed assembly-line style with a group of volunteers,” King said. “They are then delivered by another team of volunteers who drop off the packs to the various receiving sites. We’ve heard from volunteer groups that the packing events are great for team building and engage group members with being invested in their local community.”
For King and the STEAC team, the campaign is not only about providing food, but creating a sense of unity.
“Food brings us together, which is shown through the several stages that lead to a food pack finally coming home with a child in need,” King said. “We are grateful and honored to have the past, present and future support for the Food Packs for Kids Program.”
Local businesses and organizations are also supporting the campaign through sponsorships and donations. This year’s contributors include Davis Odd Fellows and Davis Rebekah Lodge, Travis Credit Union, Upper Crust Baking, Nugget Markets and UC Davis Health. Additionally, Davis Ace Hardware is hosting STEAC as part of its September Round Up program, inviting customers to round up their purchases at the register to benefit the campaign.
Through these combined efforts, STEAC hopes to continue building a stronger net for children in Yolo County.
By Alma Culverwell— city@theaggie.org
