project explodes in just it’s second year

The second annual No Kid Hungry Project Thanksgiving Meal is well underway at Clinton County High School.

Even though Thanksgiving will come up next week, hours and hours of prep time has already been spent on the meal that will feed hundreds in Clinton County.

C.C.H.S teacher Mrs. Melissa Tallent first started the “No Kid Hungry Project” last year during a district wide pep rally by taking up coins to donate for children.

The idea came as a community service project for an Advanced Placement Literature Class. It didn’t take long for the idea to explode and move into the entire school. Last year, more than 600 families were fed on Thanksgiving Day, as well as passing out coats to those in need.

At this time last year, Tallent said they received 242 names of people to deliver a meal to on Thanksgiving Day. This year, Tallent already has 600 names on that list and she and her team of 35 students are gearing up to feed 1,200 people this holiday season.

“We’ve had more ideas for fundraising to help raise money and we are more perpared in regards to the amount of people we think will show up,” Glen England, student at Clinton County High School said. “We did the No Kid Hungry Project Carnival. A bunch of different games and we did really good with that.”

Most of the students who worked last year’s Thanksgiving meal have signed up this year to work as well.

“I think that if God leads you to do something He will find you a way to make it work,” Tallent said. “That’s what has happened with this program. If we’ve made a difference in one life … It’s worth it.”

“That tells me that I’ve been successful,” Tallent said. “If I have taught kids to give back to their community and to be giving instead of taking, then I have succeeded. These guys take a lot of their time outside of school to do this. They put a lot of effort in and they care about it.”

Another Student at Clinton County High School, Taylor Buster, said it was a humbling experience.

“We do live in a small community, but I still thinks it’s important to come together and help each other out whenever we are in need,” Buster said. “It just shows how much we all care about our community and we are all willing to take a stand and help each other out.”

This year’s Thanksgiving meal will consist of many of the same items on last year’s menu, only this year there will be almost twice as much to prepare, including cornbread dressing, green beans, biscuits, gravy and of course turkeys.

Last year the No Kid Hungry Project cooked 41 turkeys. This year, 100 will be prepared for Thanksgiving Day.

“Most of the time hunger is viewed as being overseas. One in six people in Kentucky go hungry and the food insecurity rate is 16.7 percent,” Keifer Dalton said. “It was really surprising to me to see all these people. Even working the food pantry, it really opens your eyes to see how many people actually need stuff. They would have to do without if it wasn’t for people going out and making a stand and making it happen.”

Ethan Smith, who is also a volunteer student on the No Kid Hungry Project, said it means a lot to him to be able to help out in his community.

Kayla Shelton said, “It makes me realize how blessed we are to not have to know what it’s like to go without food or be in the situations some people are in.”

Delivering meals to the community and providing food to those who need it is just one of the many joys the students are getting out of volunteering their time this holiday season.

“It brightens their day,” Dalton said. “The people at the adult day care center love seeing us. It puts a smile on their face.”

Danielle Dalton said last year, when they delivered on Thanksgiving Day, even the kids were excited to be getting a meal.

“This one little boy was so excited to be getting a dessert,” Danielle Dalton said. “He had never had dessert and he was so proud of it. I kind of wanted to cry.”

The kitchen staff at the high school, according to Tallent, is doing this on their own time and volunteering their services.

Also on the menu for Thursday will be homemade desserts donated by bakers in the county.

Tallent said many of the kids involved in the No Kid Hungry Project also works in the food pantry and worked on the Bus Stop Cafe this summer.

The Bus Stop Cafe served more than 9,000 meals all summer long, stopping at six locations in Albany.

Also this summer, bicycles were donated and given to children in Clinton County.

“Those kids were so happy because some of them had never had a bicycle,” Shelton said. “It was just humbling to see how grateful they were to get one.”

More than 30 kids in Clinton County received bicycles this summer and Tallent said it was a treat to be able to give those kids the gift.

“We had money donated to purchase about 30 bicycles and 10 or more scooters and tricycles,” Tallent said. “Some of them didn’t even know how to ride one.”

Other than getting a meal delivered, people are also getting smiling faces delivering their food and according to England, interaction with new people is one of the highlights that goes along with a Thanksgiving meal.

“A lot of the people, once I gave them food, they would just want to talk,” England said. “It could be about the weather, community sports or anything … they just wanted to talk with us.”

In addition to the Thanksgiving meal, Tallent said they will be having a coat drive, as well as boxes of food to pass out to those families who were a part of the Bus Stop Cafe route.

One reason for the rise in popularity in the Thanksgiving meal event, according to Tallent, is the churches in the area have teamed up and instead of having a separate event, they are joining the No Kid Hungry Project.

“We are getting a lot of names from the churches,” Tallent said. “We also have several of the churches bringing their vans to help pick up people and deliver meals. Some churches have even purchased turkeys and have volunteers who will be coming out to help on Thanksgiving Day.”

Getting involved in this community wide project has not only been an eye opener for Tallent, but she said the values the students learn is invaluable.

“They can sit in a class room for 20 years and they will never get what they’ve learned with this project out of a textbook,” Tallent said. “I had a student tell me their life and their view on life had forever been changed and working this and with the food pantry were some of the best days they have ever had. Education smarts can only take you so far. You have to see the value in your community and what it does by giving back to your community.”

One thing all the students involved in the interview last week agreed on was the newly formed traditions they have generated within their own families.

“My mom said I have started a new Thanksgiving tradition in our family,” England said.

“It kind of gives hope that this is going to continue on for a long time and we can all keep coming back throughout the years,” Buster added. “We are all in this together and we are all like family, so we have started a new family tradition.”

If anyone is interested in volunteering for No Kid Hungry Project Thanksgiving Meal, contact Tallent at 606-306-1916.