As children head back to class in Issaquah, Eastside Fire and Rescue is determined to make sure they’re not hungry. Firefighters are hoping a new program to feed children breakfast will continue to succeed and expand!
State statistics show one-in-four students at Issaquah Valley Elementary School are on free or reduced lunch. Many of those students don't always get a balanced breakfast before school. But that has changed thanks to firefighters feeling the need to give back.
“We go into schools and do fire prevention, fire safety and sometimes we go into classrooms and just read with the kids," said Capt. Russ Tanner with Eastside Fire and Rescue.
Those education experiences are how the food program started, according to Tanner. After getting to know the kids in the community, firefighters saw a need and took action.
Firefighters went on a shopping spree Wednesday at Costco, loading up carts with breakfast food. Money comes primarily from members of Eastside Fire and Rescue and the Snoqualmie, Fall City, and Duvall fire departments.
This week's Costco trip will provide students at Issaquah Valley Elementary breakfast for about three months. Firefighters are now looking for outside donors and business partners so they can add more schools to the program.
“[The students will] come to school sometimes not having had dinner the night before and they don’t really get a breakfast and so they’re left waiting until lunch," said Tanner. "It's pretty hard to learn if you haven’t eaten.”