Summer Bread & Broth 4 Kids partnership with Vail Resorts a success

Over 700 bags of food have been distributed to the youth of South Lake Tahoe so far this summer thanks to a partnership between Bread & Broth 4 Kids (B&B4K) and Vail Resorts/Heavenly Mountain Resort.

Vail CEO Rob Katz and his wife Elana Amsterdam donated $125,000 to get a summer food program for youth up to the age of 18 started on the South Shore, and Bread & Broth and Family Resource Center worked together with Heavenly to make it happen.

To compliment the school year food backpack program, the summer food giveaway was directed to those who needed help when the free school lunch program was not operational. About 55 percent of South Lake Tahoe students qualify for free or reduced cost lunches due to income levels. Up until this year, the families had to struggle during the summer.

B&B4K started their summer food bag giveaway on Wednesday, June 21, and when it became apparent using St. Theresa Church as the giveaway location may not reach the most people, they expanded by dropping bags off at the Family Resource Center, Boys and Girls Club, Live Violence Free, Appleseeds, Child Development Center, Choices for Children, Under the Magic Pine Tree, Tahoe Valley Elementary and to foster families.

Food bags will be distributed through Wednesday, August 23. When school starts again this fall, the B&B4K backpack program will resume every Friday.

Volunteers make this program successful, from the staff at Heavenly Mountain Resort to the weekly crews who give part of their summer to helping others. During the August 9 bag packing three generations of a charitable family from the Bay Area came to help with the bagging. Granddad Norman Harris, Mom Marlene Common, and son Zachary Common along with friend Devin Smith were kind enough to donate some of their vacation time to help ease hunger in South Lake Tahoe.

“It was more fun than we thought and never a dull moment, said the family. "We are happy to volunteer with such wonderful new friends.”

"Thank you to everyone for the outstanding job that you all have done to implement and grow this program for the kids," said Bread & Broth Co-Directors Carol Gerard and Evye Szanto. "However, the best part of all of this are the smiles on the kids faces!"

If you would like to help this summer, or during the school year, please contact mavecilla24@gmail.com.