Food insecurity affects many families in Cullman County, and the 2019 City Family of the Year has spent the last seven years working to make sure the area’s students don’t go hungry.

Jay and Melissa Betts were named the 2019 City Family of the Year by the Cullman Farm-City Committee during Thursday’s annual Farm-City Banquet for their work in starting and running the Knapsacks for Kids program at Cullman First United Methodist Church. 

Knapsacks for Kids works to provide enough food for the weekend to feed students who live in food insecure homes or have free or reduced meals at school. The program started in West Elementary School in 2011, and has grown to more than a dozen schools in Cullman County.

Farm-City Committee Chair Bonnie Baty introduced the family, and said the work they do for the community extends far beyond the Knapsacks for Kids program, whether it’s providing Christmas presents to needy families or assisting families after a death or house fire.

“Jay and Melissa serve our community in ways both big and small every day,” she said.

Accepting the honor for her and her husband, Melissa Betts thanked those in attendance for their help with Knapsacks for Kids, and said she and Jay will continue to work to help food insecure families in the community.

“The goal is that no child goes hungry,” she said.

The Betts family took over the honor from the 2018 Farm Family of the Year, Stan and Suzanne Wood of Riverwood Farms, who were also recognized at the banquet for their service over the past year.

The committee also recognized its poster contest winners and youth award winners at the banquet. 

The grades K-3 poster winner was West Point Elementary’s Lyric Antone, with second place going to Good Hope Elementary’s Noah Martin and third place going to Good Hope Primary’s Maggie Phillips. 

Sacred Heart’s Vivian Tran won the grade 4-6 poster contest, Sacred Heart’s Katie Chamblee won second place and Holly Pond Elementary’s Brayden Bell placed third.

For the youth awards, Cold Springs High School’s Matthew Blair was named the Outstanding FCCLA Member, Cold Springs High School’s Raegan Lindsey won Outstanding 4-H Member and Holly Pond High School’s Katie Smith was named the Outstanding FFA Member.

Farm City promotes the cooperation and interdependence between the farming community and the city community. The Farm City Committee’s annual selection of a Farm or City family is aimed at representing all that’s good about the ties between the urban and the rural.

Throughout the year, committee members participate in local tours and other activities to promote the relationship between rural and urban residents, and the annual Farm City calendar culminates each fall with the naming of a new Farm or City Family.