As a Title I school with over 750 students, about 87% of whom receive free or reduced lunches, Yokomi’s student population is a diverse representation of the Central Valley.
The school is a perfect example of the ongoing need for community collaboration to address the health and wellbeing of our region’s most vulnerable residents – 14% of Fresno County residents do not have a reliable source of food, compared to 9% of Californians, according to the 2023 County Health Rankings.
Community Health System has invested over $36,000 this year in partnership with Central California Food Bank and Yokomi Elementary to fight food insecurity in the Central Valley through Central California Food Bank’s Backpack Program.
Stephen Zoller, principal at Yokomi Elementary, knows the importance of supporting students both at school and at home.“Students come to us with a lot of tough situations in life, and if we can help support that outside of the school then it helps us be able to support them here. We want to help create, as much as possible, a more stable life for that child and that family.”
A long-standing resource in the Central Valley, Central California Food Bank has been dedicated to combating food insecurity in the Valley for over 30 years. Community’s partnership with them has existed for years, but this is the first time the partnership is directly supporting a specific school that demonstrates a high need.
Jacqueline Burke, community programs manager at Central California Food Bank, said, “Healthcare organizations and institutions are often connected with the most vulnerable population. They’re connected with individuals that have diet-related chronic health conditions and so it’s a really great opportunity to identify a need and then provide nutritious food to support those families and individuals.”
The Backpack Program partners with local schools to fight child hunger by discreetly providing students experiencing chronic hunger with shelf-stable and easy-to-prepare foods for them to eat over weekends or during school breaks.
At Yokomi, these bags of food are distributed to students nearly every Friday of the school year.
Zoller said this partnership is improving the lives of his students, allowing them to reach their fullest potential. “We’re going to support them academically, socially, emotionally and in any other way we possibly can to ensure that they’re achieving at their absolute best.”
Additional information about Community’s investments to improve the health and well-being of the region, including combating food insecurity, is highlighted in our 2022 Community Benefit report.
