Youth Led Seymour Food 2 Kids Presents to Selectboard

May 7, 2024 - Seymour- The Board of Selectman in Seymour heard a heartfelt presentation on Tuesday evening from the founder of Seymour's new Food 2 Kids program: Mackenzie Bullard, age 5. Now officially a 501c3 nonprofit, Seymour Food 2 Kids began months ago when Mackenzie noticed some of her classmates didn't have snacks and decided to do something about it.

Under the guidance of her mother, Shannon Bullard of All In for Seymour and the Julia Day Nursery in Ansonia, Mackenzie and Seymour Food 2 Kids have quickly become a key player in the effort to address the growing number of neighbors in town who don't have enough to eat.

In her presentation to the select board, Mackenzie highlighted the 2021 the United Way report that showed 34% of families in Seymour struggling to afford basic necessities like food, despite,working one or more job. Another 5% live in poverty. She also pointed to the fact that school lunches are no longer free in the 2023-2024 school year. Both of these facts, she said, were reasons she started Seymour Food 2 Kids. She explained how volunteers -- including Mackenzie and several of her friends -- collect and bag nutritious and essential food items, then distribute them quietly in their school.

Her presentation, at the invitation of First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis, not only helped inform the board and town, but also prompted Selectperson Theresa Conroy to invite Mackenzie to take a seat at the table and tell her "Someday we want to have you sitting up here with this board".

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