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By: Kala Thornsbury, Student Contributor

Power Up With NutritionMrs. Jacobs, the Phi Beta Lambda Advisor, recently discovered that certain students at Jones Fork Elementary in Knott County, Kentucky were not eating their lunch food, but instead saving it to take home for their siblings to eat. Mrs. Jacobs and ALC’s Phi Beta Lambda, along with Econ 330 students, Entrepreneurship Club, KEA-SP, Allied Health Club, Law Society, and Impact Club, immediately started brainstorming ideas to overcome this horrifying issue, and created Power up with Nutrition.

“Since Mrs. Jacobs mentioned it to me, I just felt like God laid it on my heart to be involved and help. It’s absolutely heart-breaking to me that young kids were going hungry. I think it would be awesome to get the whole community involved and really help make a difference. I would love to be able to branch the program out to other schools in the county,” Sarah Woolridge, one of the students from Alice Lloyd College involved in the Power up with Nutrition had to say.

Power up with Nutrition will work to support the local children who attend the Jones Fork Elementary, in Knott County and ensure that they, as well as their siblings, are all well fed when at school and home. All students at Jones Fork Elementary are provided both breakfast and lunch every week day and should be able to eat this food without fearing that their siblings will go hungry if they do.

ALC students and local volunteers are committed to providing a gallon zip-lock bag of food for 10 children each week. Each child in need will receive their bag every Friday in order to be sure that they have food during the weekend as well. Donation areas will be located throughout the ALC campus. Donations accepted include food that won’t spoil quickly and monetary donations to buy food with. Different examples of foods would consist of Saltine Crackers, Fruit Cups, Mac & Cheese, Pudding Cups, and other long lasting snacks along those lines.

“The students and I are very excited about this opportunity to help children in our community. It’s a humbling experience to hear how appreciative these local students are to receive their food pack. We hope to see the program grow to reach even more children in Knott County,” Mrs. Jacobs responded with gratitude.

So far, Power up with Nutrition has already sent 10 bags of food this week. Students who received the bag were very grateful. The group hopes to see more donations coming their way in order to have Power up with Nutrition continuously helping those in need. The group is inviting everyone to join in to help the children in need. Your donations will be very much appreciated, and even the smallest donation will have a big impact.

For more information on Power up with Nutrition, or how to get involved, feel free to contact Mrs. Jacobs via email at denisejacobs@alc.edu.