VC Students to Address Child Hunger on Youth Council

Two Valley County students were among 20 students selected throughout the state to serve on the 2018-2019 Governor and First Lady Youth Leadership Council to address childhood hunger. On Nov. 30, Katie Kaiser, senior at Glasgow High School, and Kaitlyn Miller, eighth-grader at Nashua School, met with First Lady Bullock in Helena, as well as the other selected students, to not only learn about food insecurity in the state, but also plan, implement and sustain projects to address the issue.

During a competitive application process, Kaiser and Miller were chosen due to their plans to address childhood hunger in the area. Kaiser, who currently implements the Snack Pack Program in Glasgow, was very honored to be chosen. “Morgan Guttenberg, the former leader of the Snack Pack Program, attended the same conference, which spearheaded the program. It was really cool to be able to see all that they have taught her,” said Kaiser. Miller was equally surprised and honored to be chosen, as she has grand plans to help students at Nashua school, stating “My Mom runs B&B Foods in Nashua so I see a lot of children who are affected by food insecurity. I want to be able to do what I can to help them.”

During Fight Childhood Hunger Week in April, Miller plans on starting a fundraising effort to bring back the Snack Program to Nashua School. “When I was in elementary school, the school did a Snack Program where every child got fresh fruit at the end of the day. I want to be able to bring that back up and running to ensure every child has a healthy snack,” said Miller. Her hope is to be able to hold a Chili-Cook-Off during the Nashua spring concert to raise funds and then start the program next school year. “I am really in the planning stages right now. I have ideas and now it’s just about implementation,” stated Miller.

Kaiser already has an established program for Glasgow in the form of the Snack Pack Program. Thanks to generous donations and fundraising efforts, Kaiser is able to provide food to children who may not have access to healthy food and snacks after school and on weekends. The program has been thriving since Guttenberg started it in 2016 and has helped many kids in the area. “Many of the attendees at the meeting with First Lady Bullock were shocked I took over the program at only the age of 16 and now the program is thriving,” said Kaiser. Kaiser and her successor to the program, Ava Stone, will be planning an event for Fight Childhood Hunger Week to bring into focus the topic of food insecurity for the community. “Plans are still in progress, but we really want to be able to highlight the problem of food insecurity in the area,” said Kaiser.

By having an already established program, Kaiser was able to truly see the impact she has on the area when being able to compare the Snack Pack Program to other programs and projects throughout the state. “I was the only student there who was tackling food insecurity on a big scale. By being able to hear other students’ experiences and stories, I was able to see and realize the true impact I have on the area,” said Kaiser. From her experience, most of the students who were there had completed or had plans to complete a food drive, which was only a one-time event.

As Kaiser and Miller gear up for Fight Childhood Hunger week and as Miller starts plans to bring back up the Snack Program, they will not be alone in their endeavors. Both women will be participating in conference calls with the Youth Leadership Council throughout the next few months to receive input on how to sustain the programs and firm up plans for Fight Childhood Hunger week. “The one thing I have learned in this whole process is how fast it goes and I really need to plan for the unexpected. Not everything goes as planned,” said Miller.