The Alachua County Feeding All Children Initiative (ACFAC) is a proposed multi-level and trauma-informed intervention aiming to decrease physical neglect ACEs in Alachua County through providing discounted or free school day dinners to children attending Title 1 benefit receiving Elementary Schools in Alachua County. Alachua County’s poverty level is 10% higher than the national average (Florida Health, 2018; U.S. Census Bureau, 2019), resulting in the high 19.8% of Alachua residents who are food insecure (Feeding America, 2018). ACFAC uniquely addresses this need by utilizing existing school structures and organization to provide students with a critical meal that many would otherwise go without.
ACFAC believes that reducing community and individual trauma must begin by addressing children’s basic physiological needs first. By reducing physical neglect, ACFAC supports the future existence of other trauma-informed interventions that can build resilience in Alachua County. To fulfill its mission, ACFAC follows the trauma-informed principles of of trustworthiness and transparency, and safety (SAMHSA's Trauma and Justice Strategic Initiative, 2014), emphasizing the intervention's need for sustainability and trauma-informed training for staff. As a primary intervention, ACFAC aims to stop physical neglect at the individual level before it happens while targeting the community level by involving schools in the input and execution of the intervention.
References-
Feeding America. (2018). Map the Meal Gap 2018. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/research/map-the- meal-gap/2016/overall/FL_AllCounties_CDs_MMG_2016.pdf
Florida Health. (2018). Community & Social Economic Factors- 2014-18. Florida Health. http://www.flhealthcharts.com/ChartsReports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Char tsProfiles.CommunityCensusProfile&uid=8a7bebda-03d6-4316-8071-edc02dcbbbd2
SAMHSA’s Trauma and Justice Strategic Initiative. (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept ofTrauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). QuickFacts United States. U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfa...t/table/US/PST045219
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