Couple volunteer with Three Square to make children’s lives just a little bit better

Tummies growl. Empty stomachs ache with sharp hunger pangs. Brains struggle to concentrate on school work.

When Jeff and Margie Davis moved to North Las Vegas from Huntington Beach, Calif., four years ago, they couldn't imagine a world in which children went to school hungry. They were watching a TV newscast one night, and at that time, 13 percent of the children in the Clark County School District were going hungry.

Now, 50 percent of children in the school district -- more than 165,000 kids -- are enrolled in free and reduced-price meal programs based on their family income.

So the two began packing bags in Three Square food bank's BackPack for Kids program, which provides nutritious, single-serving and ready-to-eat food items to children who might otherwise go without during weekends and long breaks from school. The couple hadn't volunteered in this capacity before outside of some parental obligations when their three daughters were in school years ago. Participating in the program helped the couple cope with the move so far away from family and made them feel they were positively affecting the community.

"When I see commercials on TV for back-to-school supplies, it makes me sad because I know while lots of children can be excited for those types of activities, on the other side, there are children who are excited for a meal," said Margie Davis, a retired elementary school teacher. "I'm happy that we can ease some of that pain."

For about two hours on most Thursdays, the couple will pack grocery bags with two cans of meat, chocolate milk, two juice boxes, sunflower seeds, granola bars, individual boxes of cereal and gummy fruit snacks, among other items. The nonprofit group is distributing more than 7,200 bags weekly to more than 240 schools throughout the community.

"A child who is hungry is a child who cannot concentrate on schoolwork," Jeff Davis, 63, said. "We have to do what we can to stamp out the hunger."

Erica Thompson, director of giving and volunteerism at Three Square, said the couple have logged more than 300 volunteer hours and reached out to their neighbors in the Ardiente community.

They encouraged so many of their friends and neighbors to participate that they began organizing quarterly group volunteer sessions as a community. They organized several community turkey drives to benefit Three Square, and Ardiente community members have donated more than 250 volunteer hours as a group.

"They have a deep-seated passion for not only hunger relief but child nutrition," Thompson said in a written statement. " … We are so grateful for the hard work and compassion of top-notch volunteers like Jeff and Margie. We are truly privileged to have had their continued support over the years and are sincerely thankful for all they have done and continue to do."

Margie Davis said she found the experience difficult to put into words.

"It seems like just a little when you put one little bag together, but every one of those bags feeds a child," the 64-year-old said. "Multiply that bag with as many that are going out, and X amount of children are being fed. It's not enough, but it's a start."

Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@
reviewjournal.com or 455-4519.