The Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch used Go Grants funds to support the Food Pantry which supplies food on an emergency basis to youth in their community-based program.
Empowering Youth
- Around 420 youth, ages 5-18, in Yellowstone County are currently receiving assistance from the YBGR Community Based Services programs.
- Community Based Services (CBS) is a licensed, accredited mental health program that provides a broad range of services for at-risk children in their homes, schoools, and communities.
- Around 55% of youth in CBS receive services at school.
Lifelong Development
- Hunger has a number of negative physical effects in children:
- Delayed development
- Delayed growth
- Increased risk of chronic illnesses
- Negatively affects concentration, memory, and focus, making therapy less effective.
Ending Food Insecurity
- Most of the children receiving CBS services experience food insecurity on a regular basis. The Food Pantry serves CBS participants in two ways:
- Counselors and therapists bring food items with them to sessions. If they perceive that a child is hungry, they have food on hand to give to stave off hunger and help with concentration and focus.
- If CBS staff learns that a family is temporarily in need of food, the staff will interview the family to find out what their needs and food prep capabilities. Using funds from the Food Pantry program, staff can purchase enough supplies to get the family through the remainder of the month. This is intended to be a stopgap measure only and is not intended as a long-term solution.
Fiscally Responsible
- The cost of funding the Food Pantry is approximately $7,000 per year