Tuscaloosa County Commission gives $250K to children’s nonprofit

Did you know that, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health, 1 in every 4 children in Alabama go hungry?

The Tuscaloosa County Commission is using $250,000 acquired from the American Rescue Plan Act so kids in Tuscaloosa County get enough food in their bellies. The money is being donated to Secret Meals for Hungry Children, a local nonprofit that slips meals into the backpacks of children in need so they have plenty to eat on the weekends.

District 3 Commissioner Mark Nelson brought up the potential donation to the commission because, he said, ensuring children have what they need is a no-brainer.

“It’s something we can see. We can help a group that can’t help themselves necessarily,” Nelson said. “Sometimes we don’t want to allot funds for people who maybe are not pulling their own weight. But these are kids that have no control over whether or not they are going to eat this weekend. They are at the mercy sometimes of situations they can’t control.”

Nelson said the funding has already been approved by the Tuscaloosa County Commission.

According to Secret Meals’ website, $140 can feed one student for a whole year, so that $250,000 will go a long, long way.