CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) The Downtown Commons was packed Saturday with young and old alike having a great time and helping to put an end to child hunger with FUEL the Bus. The event was hosted by the City of Clarksville, Montgomery County Government, along with the Clarksville Police Department (CPD) Community Relations Department.
Those attending were asked to donate non-perishable food items to fill a Clarksville Transit System bus. The food will go to The FUEL Kids Nutrition Program and the F.U.E.L. Program. F.U.E.L. is designed to feed children whose only food source may be the food they receive from school.
Children in the programs are chosen by teachers and staff members of Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools. The staff stay aware and look for children who eat everything on their plate every day, ask for seconds, or try to take food home with them. Some children in CMCSS go without food from lunch on Friday until breakfast on Monday.
The donated food is placed in the youngsters’ backpacks on Friday for them to eat over the weekend. Founder of the F.U.E.L Program, Denise Skidmore, talked about the need for the program.
“We ended the last school year feeding 2,300 children every Friday in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System alone,” said Skidmore. Skidmore praised the organizer of the event, CPD Officer Samantha Kellett for her hard work and called the event a blessing and wonderful opportunity for hungry children in Clarksville-Montgomery County schools.
Food donations collected at FUEL The Bus Saturday will help feed the 2,300 children in the program for at least two weekends and possibly more.