Kid’s Market provides Roberts Elementary students with monthly fresh produce

A farmer’s-style market was established at E. Neal Roberts Elementary School in San Bernardino in an effort to curb childhood food insecurity. On Friday, Mar. 22 Feeding American Riverside/San Bernardino (FARSB) celebrated the implementation of its monthly Kid’s Market with a ribbon cutting ceremony and delivery of 15 pounds of fresh produce that included tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, oranges and green beans.

“While tens of thousands of families, including those served by FARSB’s more than 400 community partners in the Inland Empire, are receiving meals through our regular distribution programs, many of the poorest and hungriest children often aren’t identified,” said FARSB Director of Philanthropy Lori Butler.  “The KM program targets children by working at public schools where we find the highest percentage of children receiving free/reduced-price meals during the school week.”

Students will receive a bag filled with locally grown produce and other food products once a month on a day that school is in session for the academic school year.

“The District is committed to providing an environment conducive to healthy families which build good communities and in turn good scholars,” said Christopher Tickell, San Bernardino City Unified School District Director of Charter School Operations. “Above all, we don’t want any child or adult to go hungry. The District is committed to anything that helps our community thrive.”

Roberts Elementary is the third school in the District in which Kid’s Market operates – Lincoln and Muscoy Elementary the other two. “One in five children is food insecure in the Inland Empire – that actually is great news,” continued Butler, who explains, “Last year that figure was one in four children at risk of going hungry every day. These Kid’s Markets are designed to impact our communities and see that more children and families are being fed that might otherwise fall through the cracks.”