Be'Cause 🌻 Food Raising Friends

Hola, Fierce Feminina,

Have you ever met a new person and instantly knew that you would be friends? I have always been a little wary of people who say, “I think we are going to be best friends.” But in the case of Becca McKeithen, our friendship was instantaneous.

When you find another woman who is a Fierce Friend, the friendship feels completely organic. We connected over our love and desire to serve and help our community. Becca is the Founder and Executive Director of Food Raising Friends, a non-profit serving the food needs of children in the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Becca will be the first of many non-profit leaders I will feature in Fierce Feminina Inspired. Why? Be’Cause I love non-profits and the work these dedicated women do is incredibly important. It’s through their blood, sweat, and tears that children are being fed, the homeless have homes, and individuals with disabilities can live on their own. They are the driving force for the good we see in the world.

Food Raising Friends by Becca McKeithen

Becca McKeithen is often asked why she started Food Raising Friends? Becca says the real question is, “Why is feeding kids important to me at all?”

Becca grew up lower middle class in the suburbs. Her dad only made $19,000 a year, and her mom stayed home with the children, occasionally taking on odd jobs to supplement their income. Becca’s parents made a lot of sacrifices to raise her and her siblings.

As a child, Becca didn’t know that her family didn't have a lot of money. But looking back, the question that came to her mind was, why were we never hungry? Becca later realized that, “it was because of the people around us.”

There were community food banks and a neighbor who delivered food for Meals on Wheels. He would often give them the leftover meals. This struck me, as I remembered my own experience of being a young family in need of the support from my community.

Becca told me, “I know I could have easily become a hungry adult.” I asked Becca to unpack that for me. She said, “When a child gets used to being hungry it normalizes the feeling of hunger. But when a child is fed it tells the brain there should always be food.” That made sense to me. A hungry child can become a hungry adult.

Becca was a teacher in her community when she began to see the need for children to have food over the summer and long school breaks. Many children on free and reduced lunch rely on the lunches their schools provide for them.

Food Raising Friends is breaking the hunger norm for children. Becca believes a child who is always fed will never know hunger and will never become accustomed to it. Becca is “changing psychology” by interrupting the physical pattern of hunger.

A child who is fed through Food Raising Friends will be an adult who remembers the food they received and knows that hunger is abnormal and it isn't what they deserve. That's one way in which we can interrupt the effects of generational poverty.

The typical family that Food Raising Friends feeds is living paycheck to paycheck and trying to make ends meet each week. Food Raising Friends on average feeds 1,600 - 2,000 students on long school breaks and holidays in Santa Rosa County, Florida. Food is distributed five times a year. During the summer they distribute 80 individual servings, which cost a total of only $35. That’s an average of $.42 per serving.

Becca is doing some amazing things when it comes to ending childhood hunger in her community. Nevertheless, the burden of running a nonprofit is never-ending. Becca stated, “I constantly have to raise the money, it stresses me out most worrying if the money is going to be there when a child needs it.” Becca reminds us all that “raising money sucks, and it's hard, but it is absolutely vital.”

When I asked what inspires her, Becca said “Every single delivery.” Becca is able to help families and make her community a better place. Becca says it is actually more of a gift to her. Giving the gift of food is not a burden. Becca wants these families to feel dignity and have quality food. It also feeds the psyche.

“They are our neighbors, they are our friends and they should be able to be seen as people,” said Becca. She believes that feeling people makes her community a better and safer place.

Becca shared that she is not giving because they need her, “I'm giving because I need them, I need them to be their best.”

WOW! Now, that’s powerful! Be’Cause.

Like what you see? Invite your Fierce Friends.

Remember to check us out on your favorite social media platform to get a little bit of inspiration daily. If this was forwarded to you click to subscribe!