Growing up hungry shouldn’t be something a child has to experience. Food is a necessity and should be available at all times. My childhood was littered with moments of hunger, moments wondering where was the food. Dinner time would come around but there was nothing on the stove. I remember searching sofa cushions for change so I could run to the corner store for whatever I could afford with the pennies and dimes found. Sundays were spent at my grandmothers because there was always food for the entire family. Weekends were spent with my aunts because I knew I would get pancakes for breakfast. Afterschool I would try to go to a friend’s house because she always had a snack, rye bread and peanut butter, I thought that was heaven.
Today nearly 17 million children in America are at risk of not getting meals on a regular basis. We DO NOT need to live this way anymore. Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity whose mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. With so many different ways to take action everyone can make a difference.
- Donate: For every $1 donation, 7 meals are provided to feed the hungry in our country
- Advocate: Organize a fundraiser, bring your community together and raise awareness
- Volunteer: Donate your time at a local food pantry or Kid’s Café
- Community: Become of part of Feeding America’s efforts YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
In Maryland there are approximately 456K people living below the federal poverty level. The Maryland Food Bank would have to distribute more than 84 million pounds of food to wipe out that statistic. Right now they are distributing about 19 million pounds to their servicing area. There is a gap, a large one. In recent years there has been an increase in demand for these services due to the economic downturn. Families once considered middle class are the same families now looking for help to put food on the table.
The Maryland Food Bank services programs throughout the state, excluding Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties. These programs include:
- Kids Café-children are provided healthy meals and snacks during after-school programs
- BackPack Program-on Fridays children who are eligible for free or reduced lunch are provided with backpacks full of food to take home and feed the family
- Nutrition Education-USDA and University of Maryland conduct nutrition education and food safety classes to teach families to stretch their food dollars and improved diets.
- Second Helping-Baltimore area restaurants, culinary programs and caterers donate prepared perishable food to be distributed to food pantries and soup kitchens
There are resources for families to get the help they need there just isn’t enough food to help all the families. Pitch in with a financial contribution, food donation or volunteer your time to help #fightchildhunger in your community today.
Has Child Hunger affected you in the past? Does it affect your life today? Do you know a child that is hungry? What can you do to help them?
This is a sponsored post but the opinions and descriptions presented belong solely to LookWhatMomFound…and Dad too! Your experiences and reactions may differ from ours.
