A De Pere school administrator is supporting a program that gives hungry students food because he used to be one of them.
Director of Pupil Services Jerry Nicholson says his family sometimes struggled when he was growing up. He says it’s a big issue, with one in five De Pere students reporting concerns about having enough food.
He’s backing a nonprofit group called Ben’s Wish. Founders Peter and Becky Delain help give students backpacks with food for the weekend. Their 11-year-old son, Ben, fed a homeless man several hours before he died in an ATV accident.
Nicholson says being hungry can impact a student’s ability to learn, social interaction, and self-esteem.
