The opinions stated in this article are solely those of the author. 

When the 100 employees at the Davis County-centered First Community Bank met last month for a quarterly celebration, they did more than bestow awards and talk about plans for the future.

They immediately impacted the county through a program from the Fruit Heights-based Mountain Ops, a firm that sells clothing, nutrition, and outdoor gear. Sure, children are the future, but they are also the present…and many are hungry, even homeless.

Davis County is considered to be one of Utah’s more stable, better income areas, suburbs generally populated by middle-income families and, on its east bench, those even more financially fit.

This portrait is generally true, but it also hides a harsh reality. More than 12,400 Davis students are classified as economically disadvantaged; even worse, 1,300 are homeless, according to the Utah Board of Education.  The county school district has established five drop-in centers where students can visit to take a shower, do laundry, or pick up food and hygiene products. By next year, a residential center will be open for students needing a temporary place to sleep and study.

Mountain Ops (mtn.ops) was one of the first to come to the party. Through its Operation Conquer Hunger program, a meal is donated for every purchase of its products. More than five million meals have been donated, though it’s only a drop in the bucket considering 66 million children go to school every day on an empty stomach.

And that’s where other companies partner with them.

While many Davis County residents were relaxing on a weekday holiday, the First Community Bank employees assembled 25,000 packets filled with macaroni and cheese, applesauce, granola bars, and cheese-cracker products. The packets were then taken to the Bountiful Food Pantry and other partner organizations for distribution to local students.

According to Operation Conquer Hunger, one in every four Davis County children goes home after school to an empty pantry. This is occurring in Bountiful, Woods Cross, Kaysville, not the southside of Chicago.

Many private businesses and organizations are helping, especially at the time when strident calls are made for cutting government funding. The challenge is not only in the number of people needing help, but in recognizing that inside our leafy neighborhoods this is a problem in the first place!

As Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays approach, we should examine our own financial situation, count our blessings, and write a check to help a family in need. We shouldn’t expect our government and our churches to shoulder the burden. 

When it comes to expected results, politicians often speak of what will occur in “the long run.” But people don’t eat in the long run; they eat every day…then again, some cannot.  

Bryan Gray, a longtime Davis County resident, is a former school teacher and has been a columnist for more than 26 years in newspapers along the Wasatch Front.