Alabama knows how to take care of its own, and that is never more apparent with the Feeding Alabama Summer Meals program. Day to day, one in five children in Alabama face food insecurity. Each summer that figure spikes — there are now hundreds of thousands of children in Alabama facing some form of food anxiety as students lose access to free or reduced-price meals. This program fills the gap.

Feeding Alabama offers meals to children younger than 18 by partnering with more than 15 community organizations, including churches, YMCAs, and Boys and Girls Clubs through the summer months. It does this by assisting the food bank network — including Food Bank of North Alabama — in obtaining more food and funds, and raising public awareness of the need and mission of networking food donors, emergency food pantries and soup kitchens.

The organization also partners annually with No Kid Hungry by Share our Strength, an initiative working to ending childhood hunger in the United States.

Because the program operates June 3-Aug. 2, it requires significant resources in acquiring food, storing food and transporting food to people in need.

Simply, they need our help. To assist, visit feedingalabama.org. And if you can assist soon, you can double your donation through the Daniel Foundation of Alabama $15,000 Challenge Grant. The foundation will double your donations until the goal is reached.

Through this effort, Alabama can ensure that no child or family goes hungry this summer. And on that: Families who are in need of the service for their children can find a nearby location by texting “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 304-304.