Families enjoying the Northwoods Children’s Museum in Eagle River will soon be able to address some food needs as well.
The Northwoods Children’s Museum and Feed Our Rural Kids or FORK have finalized plans to open a FORK Pantry location in the museum.
It will be ready to go on July 1st.
FORK President Perry Pokrandt says it’s an opportunity to push back against childhood food insecurity which affects so many children in the area.
Northwoods Children’s Museum Executive Director, Danielle Larsen, said that partnering with FORK just makes sense.
“Community partnerships are important, and it’s even more sensational when our goals already align with each other. For more than 25 years the Northwoods Children’s Museum has stayed true to its mission to enrich lives, support families, and encourage a love of learning through interactive play. We value the work that FORK is doing, and, like FORK, we are here to serve families and support the needs of our community with a focus on healthy and happy children”, said Larsen.
Sharon Nielsen, President of the Northwoods Children’s Museum’s Board of Directors, said “Childhood hunger can impact everything from a child’s physical and mental well-being to their academic experiences.”
She said it also impacts a child’s ability to play.
According to Pokrandt, the FORK Pantry program is not a replacement for area food pantries, but an enhancement to the support our community pantries already provide.
There are currently 10 FORK Pantries which provide food and snack items as a nutritional resource to area children and their families struggling with food insecurity.
