CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – With the mission of relieving hunger among school-aged-children, F.U.E.L. (Full of Emmaus Love) Ministries is a food subsidization program for children whose only food source may be what they receive at school.

Founder and Executive Director Denise Skidmore said when she began F.U.E.L. Ministries 19 years ago, they served 11 children in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS). Today the program is serving more than 3,000 children every week.

How F.U.E.L. works

Skidmore said their numbers continue to rise because our population has grown. “We’ve seen the numbers growing and we’ve seen a greater demand,” Skidmore said.

The children are chosen by the school system, not based on income but on signs of hunger. “They can be referred to us from a teacher, a counselor, a school administrator, a lunch professional, a bus driver, anybody in the school system can refer a child based on their observation,” Skidmore said.

At CMCSS elementary and middle schools, non-perishable nutritious food is collected and discretely placed into the backpacks of the children each Friday. For the high schools, there is a pantry, and teens are allowed to take the food and eat it at school or take it home for the weekend.

“The high school students are our largest population. There are more homeless high schoolers than at any other level. We are seeing about 1 in 4 children with food insecurity,” Skidmore said.

How you can help

A lot the partners of F.U.E.L. are local churches and Skidmore said many of them are struggling financially right now. Some of the churches have had to walk away from the program.

“We are looking for partners who are willing to fill bags every week. We’re looking for partners who have a heart for children, because we are just continuing to see the numbers of children in need grow,” Skidmore said.

She mentioned a person who contacted her saying they had received F.U.E.L. bags when they were in school, and without them, they might have starved to death. That person now wanted to do what they could to help.

“We’re seeing it full circle now. We’re in our 19th year, and children have gone through the entire school system receiving F.U.E.L. bags, surviving off of F.U.E.L. bags, and they are now out there giving back to the community,” Skidmore said.

Skidmore added that with F.U.E.L. they are seeing children that are more focused, children that look forward to going to school and stay in the school system longer.

For more

Recommended items for F.U.E.L. bags are pre-packaged and non-perishable food such as small cereal boxes, pudding and fruit cups, meat sticks, packaged crackers, granola bars, 100% fruit juice boxes and tuna or chicken in a pouch. Monetary donations can also be made, and those are used to purchase food.

To find out more, make a donation, or to volunteer, visit fuelforkids.org or call 931-624-3181.

Giving Grace, sponsored by Grace Dental, is an ongoing Clarksville Now series showcasing local nonprofit organizations.

HOW TO HELP: For more information on local charities, go to #ClarksvilleStrong.