Many thanks to Kelsey Steffens for returning to share the work Give & Take Kitchen are doing for the Pine Belt.
Last week we welcomed our newest member, Lucy Sanguinetti (middle)! Lucy is pictured with Mark Killingsworth (left) and Erin Granberry (right).
(Click the "Read More" button to view the minutes from last week's meeting.)
President-Elect Mark Killingsworth presided over today’s meeting. He also provided the invocation and Bill MacLauchlan led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Michael McPhail thanked those who helped with today’s meeting.
Mark reminded members that the Bingo event has been canceled. Members are being asked to make a one-time $100 donation to the club to provide funds for new service projects.
Mark then introduced Lucy Sanguinetti and inducted her as the club’s newest member. He thanked Erin Granberry for sponsoring her. Lucy has been in Hattiesburg for the past 26 years. She had three children and one grandson. She served the state as Miss Hospitality in 1983. She has worked in tourism for most of her life. She also spent some time at William Carey University. She is currently employed at Albert and Robinson Architects.
Mike McPhail then introduced today’s guest speaker, Kelsey Land Steffens, founder and president of the Give & Take Kitchen.
The Kitchen’s mission is to alleviate the devastating consequences of hunger and food insecurity on the education, health and future opportunities of our community’s children. It has been in existence just a little more than one year and has served more than 40,000 meals since being founded. They serve healthy and nutritious meals to children at Aldersgate Mission and the Salvation Army’s Boys and Girls Club. They also work closely with the ARC, United Christian Academy and Pinebelt Mental Healthcare Academy. Their focus is on children who suffer from food insecurity and have very little access to healthy food. Nationwide, 17% of children suffer from food insecurity. Here in Mississippi, 23% of our children have food insecurity.
Kelsey says families often have to choose between paying utilities, providing transportation, paying medical expenses or housing expenses rather than purchasing food.
In addition to providing healthy food for their clients, they also offer food skill education where they teach the children and parents about preparing and eating healthy food. They teach them to make better food choices, how to create a food budget and how to cook delicious and nutritious food.
They also offer a Backpack Program, providing 40 backpacks each week that children can take home so they will have something to eat before they return to school on Monday.
To learn more about the Give & Take Kitchen, visit their website at www.giveandtakekitchen.org or you can call Kelsey at 601-818-6741.
There being no further business to come before the club, Mark thanked today’s speaker and adjourned the meeting with your motto: “Service Above Self.”