Hopelink, a north and east King County nonprofit organization, has launched its annual “End Summer Hunger” fund and food drive to help feed 11,000 school-aged children in its service area and support the agency’s homelessness prevention programs. Each summer, nearly 14 percent of schoolchildren in north and east King County face hunger because their schools’ subsidized meal programs, on which they depend during the school year, are not available.

The “End Summer Hunger” grassroots effort will go through July 1. Hopelink is asking for support from individuals, businesses, schools and organizations.

Last year, over $170,000 was raised in funds and food donations.

“End Summer Hunger is an important tool for feeding the 11,000 children in north and east King County who otherwise may well go hungry during the summer,” said Marilyn Mason-Plunkett, president and CEO of Hopelink. “[It also] relieves the extra financial burden of providing those summertime meals for the parents of these children, which in turn contributes to their families’ financial stability.”

Schools that support the program encourage children in classrooms to collect coins, while businesses, organizations and civic or community clubs hold food drives, fund drives, or both, according to what works best for them. Individuals can make monetary donations through Hopelink’s Web site at www.hope-link.org/takeaction/donate.

For more information about supporting the End Summer Hunger campaign, contact Lil Klein at lilk@hope-link.org or (425) 869-6005.