Many children in Dubuque and the larger Tri-State area rely on preschool/school lunch programs in order to get one of their few meals a day. When kids go on their annual winter break, those two weeks put an added strain on parents to make sure their children have something in their bellies.

A couple weeks ago, we had Danielle Meyer stop by the studio to talk about her "Belly Bags." She started the campaign just a few years ago with a simple concept in mind: keep Dubuque and Dubuque-area kids fed during their multi-week winter break!

Danielle Meyer and 10-year-old Lydia. Photo Credit: Steve Pulaski
Danielle Meyer and 10-year-old Lydia. Photo Credit: Steve Pulaski
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What are Belly Bags?:

Intended for kids ages 3-to-5-years-old, Belly Bags are designed to make sure young kids have something on which they can munch when schools are closed and not serving their usual meals. Danielle Meyer and her 10-year-old daughter Lydia returned to the studio this week to discuss their Belly Bags campaign and further disclose what kind of items they are looking to collect:

[Belly Bags] are bags of foods designed for kids to kind of last them through their holiday break [....] It's stuff they can easily eat by themselves or with little help from a sibling or an adult: Easy Mac, granola bars, oatmeal, stuff like that.

Photo Credit: Belly Bags Facebook
Photo Credit: Belly Bags Facebook
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Meyer said that her, Lydia, and the rest of the kind-hearted folks assembling these bags have a particular goal in mind when doing so:

My goal is to [....] have enough food in there to last them the two weeks [of winter break], so enough items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and some snacks in there as well.

 

How to Donate:

For those looking to donate fruit cups, oatmeal, granola bars, or other comparable items, you can do one of two things. You can contact Meyer directly (her contact info is listed below), or you can make a donation at White Front Feed & Seed in Dubuque on Dodge Street. White Front will also take monetary donations and hold them for Meyer to purchase food herself.

Photo Credit: Belly Bags Facebook
Photo Credit: Belly Bags Facebook
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When are the Belly Bags Delivered?:

For more details on the rollout of the Belly Bags, how you can donate, or even how Danielle's 10-year-old Lydia is helping with the bags themselves, take a listen to our interview below!

Meanwhile, if you want to arrange a donation drop-off with Meyer personally, you can reach her at 563-451-9449. Or visit Belly Bags' Facebook group for more information!

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