Share our Strength-No Kid Hungry

Share Our Strength® is a national organization that works hard to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. They are working with communities, volunteers and supporters like you to catch children at risk and surround them with nutritious food and programs that allow easier access to this food. More than 12.4 million kids were at risk of going hungry last year, that’s over 17% of all of our children. I’m not talking kids who missed a snack or didn’t get dessert I’m talking about children who are missing meals due to poverty and have limited access to nutritious food.

Severe hunger and malnutrition causes significant and long-lasting damage and difficulties including physical, mental and developmental delays and disabilities.

• Impedes growth and development
• More illness, including stomach- and headaches, colds, ear infections and fatigue
• Poorer mental health
• More hospitalizations
• Greater susceptibility to obesity and its harmful health consequences
• More aggressive behavior
• Higher levels of hyperactivity, anxiety and/or passivity
• Difficulty getting along with other children
• Greater need for mental health services
• Have impaired cognitive functioning and diminished capacity to learn
• Achieve lower test scores and overall school performance
• Repeat a grade
• Experience school absences, tardiness and school suspensions

Severe hunger causes more than just stomach grumbles. Why is childhood hunger an issue these days? One contributing factor is over 37% of US households are at or below the poverty level. This can cause an inadequate standard of living, forcing families to make cut backs on necessities like food, health care and education. Share our Strength is determined to end childhood hunger by implementing programs such as Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® , Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale® , Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit® , Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out™ and Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline®. If you aren’t able to get involved in any of these programs a small financial donation can go really far.
$35.00 – Help feed a child three meals a day for more than a month.
$50.00 – Help provide preschool children with lunch for a day.
$100.00 Provide 25 bags of nutritious foods for a family at a food bank.
$250.00 – Could help connect over 9,300 families to free meal programs
$1,000.00 – Could provide over 24,000 glasses of milk to a school

Get involved in your own community today. Participate in your neighborhood events or even better organize an event such as a community bake sale. Support the 12.4 million children in need.