End 68 Hours of Hunger

First Congregational Church of Eliot is the base camp site for “End 68 Hours of Hunger” We host food drives, have weekly volunteer teams and help the Eliot and South Berwick areas combat food insecurity.  All the food for the community is stored on site at FCCE and teams from the community donate, pack and distribute weekly to over 30 children.

The impact of food insecurity on the child is enormous. Teachers tell us that on Friday afternoons the children who are unlikely to have enough food at home become very edgy and are unable to concentrate.

After a week in a structured environment where they have at least two full meals, they will leave school and for 68 hours have little to eat. That insecurity can lead to some behavioral disruptions.

On Monday mornings they return to school ill, often spending the day in the nurse’s office. They are unable to focus and concentrate until they once again are nourished.

Childhood food insecurity is a national problem, it occurs when children receive insufficient food on a regular basis; in many cases missing meals entirely. After a while, these children also experience “fear of hunger” that affects their behavior as much as physical hunger affects their bodies. There are more than 16 million food insecure children in America today.

How End 68 Hours of Hunger Helps

END 68 HOURS of HUNGER WORKS! This program puts nourishing food in the hands of school children to carry them through the weekend. Each bag of food costs $10 each week and provides two breakfasts, two lunches, and three dinners for a child, with some left over to share!

Our FCCE liaison is Linda Downey and help is always needed to make this ministry the strongest it can be. Contact Linda or Lisa Marshall if you can donate time, treasure or food!