Missoula schools report big increase in hungry, homeless students

Across Missoula County – and the state – the number of children who rely on school just for food is depressingly big, and getting bigger.

Andrea Hanson’s 8-year-old son is the family breadwinner on Fridays.

When he gets into mom’s car after school, his backpack is stuffed with far more than binders and books.

It’s stuffed with food.

And that’s a good thing, said the single mother who works 60 hours a week but can barely keep enough food on the table for her two children.

"It’s almost enough to get us through the weekend," said Hanson, whose child is one of a staggering 200 students at Franklin Elementary who are given a weekend’s supply of food by the Missoula Food Bank every Friday.

How to help http://missoulian.com/article_5c898426-ea26-11df-8c72-001cc4c002e0.html

By JAMIE KELLY of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_6fdba356-ea26-11df-b66a-001cc4c002e0.html