“You can’t learn when you’re hungry,” Debbie Cruson said.

Story by whas11.com

A mother and daughter in Louisville, Kentucky, are doing their part to prevent the hunger some Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) students may face.

Liz Cruson has volunteered with nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack Louisville Chapter for five years. The nonprofit raises money to feed JCPS students on the weekends, some who may otherwise not eat until they return to school the following Monday.

“I had absolutely no idea that there was that many children in this city that go hungry every day,” Liz said. “Seeing the kids take the food from you and literally whether they are shy or they are enthusiastic, they’re still super grateful. It makes you feel grateful and blessed for what you have.”

Her mom, Debbie, saw her daughter’s passion and wanted to do her part.

“It was during the time when they were talking about how their funding had been cut and they were really struggling with some of the kids,” Debbie said. “You can’t learn when you’re hungry.”

In January, the Louisville chapter had to cut 1,400 children from the program because of funding cuts.

So what did Debbie do?

“I said I’ll take a school!” Debbie said. She funded an entire Jefferson County elementary school for the upcoming school year, pledging to feed every student at that school who is part of the Blessings in a Backpack program.

“They’re able to go home and not starve and not eat paper, as one of the stories Liz has told me,” Debbie said. “I mean, you’ve read about those things but you don’t think about them being here in our community and it is.”

Nearly 80,000 students in Jefferson County qualify for the program.

The past school year, the 48 Blessings in a Backpack programs in Louisville funded nearly 195,000 hunger-free weekends.

“It’s very eye opening, it makes you cry, which of course you have to hide your tears from the kids because they know nothing else,” Liz said. “You can’t go and play sports, you can’t focus, your focus is off, you could be wiggly in class and be a disturbance to other students who might have the luxury of getting food. It’s just a trickle, domino effect.”

A $150 donation feeds one child every weekend of the school year.