To grow and learn, children need to be well-nourished. According to Feeding America, children who are vulnerable to food insecurity may struggle in school and beyond, adding that 1 in 6 kids may not know where they will get their next meal this year.
Through our Hoops for Hunger Program in partnership with the Lakeland Magic, we support Backpack programs with KidsPACK and One More Child to help ensure no child goes hungry. We donate $150 for every three-pointer made by the Lakeland Magic team. It takes about $300 to support one child for the entire school year – this season, the team scored 167 3-pointers, translating to over 80 children accessing healthy, reliable meals when attending school.
To respond to the increased demand for local food insecurity due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year we doubled our contribution to total $50,100.
“Continuing to fight local hunger is one of the Lakeland Magic’s main community initiatives and we greatly value our partnership with Mosaic on this important cause,” said Hans Steinbrenner, President of the Lakeland Magic. “This is the third season of our Hoops for Hunger program, and we are so proud of this record donation amount. We have seen the direct impact the Hoops for Hunger program has had on our community and look forward to continuing the fight against food insecurity in Central Florida.”
To date, our partnership has raised over $90,000 to support youth in Florida.
“One More Child is so honored to partner with Mosaic and the Lakeland Magic in the fight against childhood hunger. We provide backpacks filled with food for local school children each week to ensure that no child is hungry,” shares One More Child’s Director of Major Gifts, Erica Hall. “Each three-point shot brings us one step closer to ensuring that every child in Polk County is healthy and happy! Go Magic and go Mosaic!”
