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Every Child Deserves A #HungerFreeSummer

This post is brought to you by ConAgra Foods and The Motherhood, and I’ve been compensated for my time. However, all opinions are my own.

Hunger-Free-Summer-logo

A few ago I wrote my first post of two about child hunger that you can read HERE.  Like I have already mentioned more than 1 in 5 children in the US are at risk of hunger and to me that is totally unacceptable.

Thankfully Conagra Foods and Chris O’Donnell have joined forces to bring much needed awareness to this issue.  Chris worked with ConAgra Foods to develop a video and a simple way for others to join in the fight against child hunger.  For every view a meal is donated and you can view the video HERE!

If you are like me the number of hungry children in the US is disturbing and scary but there are little things that you can do to help feed kids so that the number of hungry children can be reduced.  One of the things that our family has done in the past is we had a food drive for our local food bank.  When we lived in MD we held a food drive where we had a bounce house, food, games and prizes and instead of asking people to pay we asked everyone attending to bring one can of food per person.  The awesome thing was people were so generous with their donations that instead of the one can of food per person people were bringing bags of food.  After the event we donated over 350 lbs of food to the local food bank that was then distributed to hungry children and families in the area.  To me a food drive is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to give back and help needy children in your community.

Another way is to find a local farm or garden in your area that donates fresh fruits and produce to local food banks that is then handed out to children and families in the area.  Our local food bank here in Delaware has a garden that volunteers help maintain and help grow fresh fruits and vegetables that are distributed to needy families. Sabreena on a few occasions has volunteered at the food bank and has helped weed the garden and helped with the overall maintenance. For those of us that may not have the financial resources to donate money to the cause donating time to me is the next best thing.  A few hours our of our day on a week night or Saturday isn’t a lot considering how much our efforts impact local needy families in the community.

Children all over the US need our help especially in the summer when they aren’t in school receiving free of reduced lunch so check your local community for ways to help like volunteering at your local food bank, farm or garden.  The children that are hungry in your community will greatly appreciate your efforts.




Make It A #HungerFreeSummer For Kids

This post is brought to you by ConAgra Foods and The Motherhood, and I’ve been compensated for my time. However, all opinions are my own.

Did you know that more than 1 in 5 children in the US are at risk of hunger?  Sit back and think about that number, it’s disturbing on many levels. In my opinion no child should ever have to go hungry and worry about where their next meal will come from.

Some 21.5 million kids rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year, when school is out, only 2.3 million children participate in the Summer Food Service Program.  Children may not have access to the summer meal assistance programs for many different reasons like low awareness, geographic barriers and limited availability of summer meal programs.  For the millions of kids who fall within that gap, summer doesn’t mean a few months of fun and relaxation. It means they may be at risk of hunger.

This summer, 29 food banks in 20 states will use Hunger-Free Summer grants – ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 – to overcome barriers and the Food Bank of Delaware located in Newark is one of the facilities receiving an HFS grant which is awesome.

I know for a fact that local elementary schools in our area sent home notices about the summer food program at the local food bank here in Delaware which is awesome because it let people know about the program and I’m hoping that it allowed a lot of families a resource to help feed their children during the summer.

Child hunger is really sad because children struggling with hunger can often lose focus in school and lack the power to learn.  Even is hunger is only temporary, its impact can last a lifetime and in my opinion NO child should ever have to go hungry.

Thankfully Conagra Foods and Chris O’Donnell have joined forces to bring much needed awareness to this issue.  Chris worked with ConAgra Foods to develop a video and a simple way for others to join in the fight against child hunger.  For every view a meal is donated.

So please watch the below video (from start to finish) and/or share the video and in return ConAgra Foods will donate one meal to Feeding America.  I can’t think of an easier way for you to help make a difference in a hungry childs life.

I am begging ALL of of my readers to share this video with every single person you know and help spread the word so that we can help make a difference.

Also, below is a list of Food Banks receiving HFS Grants in 2013 in case you know someone who may need the assistance.

 
Organization Name City State
St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance Phoenix AZ
Redwood Empire Food Bank Santa Rosa CA
Care and Share Food Bank Colorado Springs CO
Capital Area Food Bank Washington DC
Food Bank of Delaware Newark DE
America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia Savannah GA
The Idaho Foodbank Boise ID
Northern Illinois Food Bank Geneva IL
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc. Indianapolis IN
Food Finders Food Bank Inc. Lafayette IN
Food Gatherers Ann Arbor MI
Second Harvest Heartland St. Paul MN
Harvesters-The Community Food Network Kansas City MO
Ozarks Food Harvest Springfield MO
Mississippi Food Network Jackson MS
Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina Raleigh NC
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina Winston-Salem NC
Island Harvest Mineola NY
Foodlink, Inc. Rochester NY
Cleveland Food Bank Cleveland OH
FOOD for Lane County (PDO) Eugene OR
Central Pennsylvania Food Bank Harrisburg PA
Rhode Island Community Food Bank Providence RI
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee Gray TN
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee Nashville TN
Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, Inc. Austin TX
North Texas Food Bank Dallas TX
Regional East Texas Food Bank Tyler TX
Wichita Falls Area Food Bank Wichita Falls TX



No Child Should Ever Go Hungry

Then why is SNAP Funding in jeopardy of being cut. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was put in place to keep families fed during times of need. Unemployment, medical emergency and even a simple change in payroll could cause a family to need assistance they never needed before.

no kid hungry, cuts to farm bill, cuts to snap program

Congress is looking to make changes to the Farm Bill, the legislation that provides funding for the SNAP Program. The changes could mean radical cuts to a program that puts food on the tables of millions of families. Nearly half of all SNAP participants are children. That means even more hungry mouths in our schools, playgrounds and community.

As the wealthiest country on the planet how can we let this happen? Speak up about Share Our Strength and spread the message of No Kid Hungry, the SNAP Program and The Farm Bill to everyone that will listen.

  • SNAP helps struggling families buy more food and fresh produce
  • SNAP provides important economic benefits to the community. The For every SNAP dollar spent $1.79 stays within the community.
  • 1 in 5 kids don’t get enough to eat each day. The lasting affects malnutrition are poor health, stunted brain development, reduced performance in school and future psychological issues.
  • More than 2/3 of the SNAP funding goes directly to Federal Nutrition Programs to feed children.

Let Congress know you aren’t sitting by and letting them take away the basic needs of 46 million Americans. Take a stand and TAKE A PLEDGE to tell Congress to protect the Farm Bill and keep our families safe from food insecurity.
I Disclose




You Can #FightChildHunger

Most of you should know about the efforts we put forth this past spring working with ConAgra Foods, Feeding America and the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign.  With a little bit of work and a lot of neighborhood, family and friend support we were able to raise a couple hundred bucks and over 400lbs of food for the Baltimore, MD community.

I heard from lots of you saying that you really wanted to get involved and do something in your own neighborhoods but were short on time. I’m here to tell you there is still time to host your own neighborhood rally with Child Hunger Ends Here.  Simply register your rally and you will be sent banners, coupons and more; everything you need for a successful and FUN event.

Our family went big and had a Neighborhood Block Party but it doesn’t have to be so large scale for you.
Host a food drive with your church or set up a lemonade stand at the end of your street. Get your friends and community involved, contact local news and radio stations for announcement information, post flyers at the grocery stores, daycare centers and coffee shops.  With just a little work you can do something grand for the 17 million children who are hungry right now in the United States.

Take the pledge, take a stand, take a step towards ending childhood hunger today.  I would love to hear about your efforts and events!

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.




The Block Party was a SUCCESS

How many ways can you have success? We have many successes yesterday with the Child Hunger Ends Here Block Party.

  • Beautiful weather
  • A minivan FULL of food
  • An awesome FeedingAmerica.org donation
  • Smiling kids in a bounce house for 5 hours
  • Balloon sword fighting and bug bracelets
  • Sticky yummy caramel popcorn
  • Ice cold lemonade
  • Kids of all ages bringing food for a good cause
  • Loving & generous family and friends that stepped up to help all day

I couldn’t have asked for a better day. The moon bounce was being filled and about 7 kids were waiting for it. I had to instruct them that this event was a fundraiser/food drive, go home talk to your parents and bring me something in exchange for admittance. I’ve never seen a bunch of kids take off so fast and come back with bags and bags of goodies. I wondered if they even asked their parents and didn’t just raid pantries.

Within 30 minutes of the official start time of noon the park was full of kids and adults enjoying hot dogs, cupcakes, lemonade and Philly Pretzels! I designed a very inexpensive fishing game for the toddlers and it was a HIT. A plastic storage container, large shaped cookie cutters and 2 dollar store fishing rods. The toddlers were able to pick prizes donated from Milkshake and little things Shae and I picked out earlier in the week; the pinwheels and CDs seemed to be the most popular.

Bloggy momma support from Sunday, Lara, Cara, Melissa and Joanne was so overwhelming. I’m glad I’ve made such great IRL friends from my online life especially to help me #fightchildhunger.

It was a great day. Rob, my dad and I are planning one for next year already!




Good Morning Maryland ABC News, That’s ME!

Working with the Child Hunger Ends Here Campaign has been one of the most inspiring projects of my life. I’ve volunteered before but never felt that I could really make an impact they way I am with this fundraiser.
Good Morning Maryland, ABC 2 News brought me in the studios yesterday morning to talk about the Block Party this weekend and the support I’ve received following that appearance has been overwhelming.
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I want to thank all the fab FH ladies, the super sweet Feeding America team, the strong ConAgra group and all my family and friends who have worked with  me over the last few weeks to help make tomorrow a success.  Also a special shout out to all the blogger friends coming out to join the fun and support the cause.




It’s Party Time

This Saturday, May 15th is our Child Hunger Ends Here Neighborhood Rally. I’m joining together with Perry Hall Moon Bounce, Iced Gems Baking, Nerf, Port Discovery and other local sponsors to bring the community together to raise awareness and funds and food for Feeding America and the Maryland Food Bank.

The Moon Bounce, face painting and games are free. Iced Gem Baking, will be there selling her infamous cupcakes. Snacks and drinks will also be available for sale. Don’t forget that there will be some really fun raffles to giveaway too!

Saturday, May 15, 2010 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
OakHurst Park (end of Sylvanoak Way)
Nottingham, MD 21236

We are asking all the families to donate financially or with a bag of non-perishable food. Remember ALL proceeds not only go towards Feeding America and the Maryland Food Bank they also stay in this community to feed our children. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have, melinda@lookwhatmomfound.com.




Special Thanks and Baltimore Child Hunger Ends Here Block Party

I want to personally thank everyone that has supported not just me but all the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign bloggers and all of our readers and the rallies they have organized. Here is a glimpse of the great efforts put forth just from our readers and friends.

Donna C. is having a food drive at work
Paula K is having a food drive with her playgroup
Carol is having a bake sale ht her granddaughters gym class
Amy is having a bake sale at dance class
Dee is having a bake sale
Rachel works with the Boy Scouts on a food drive
AKinsey is having a lemonade stand
Jen H collects food for local food bank

Let’s all applaud the steps they are making to #fightchildhunger in their own neighborhoods.

Here is what I’m doing in my own neighborhood.

We’re hosting a Block Party! We’ve secured a Bounce House courtesy of Perry Hall Moon Bounce in Perry Hall, MD. Iced Gems Baking is coming with her fantabulous truck to sell cupcakes! Sponsors such as Nerf, Port Discovery, National Aquarium in Baltimore, Six Flags America and more have donated raffles prizes and games and other fun stuff to entertain and help raise funds. Look out for the face painters and balloon artist! Snacks and drinks will also be available for sale.

We welcome anyone and everyone in the Baltimore, MD region to attend! Please don’t forget that while this event is meant to be tons of fun it’s also a fundraiser. Don’t forget a bag of non-perishable food or a financial donation to benefit Feeding America.
Saturday, May 15, 2010 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
OakHurst Park (end of Sylvanoak Way)
Nottingham, MD 21236
Everyone is invited!!!

If you need any more information or would like to help organize, donate food, funds, equipment, supplies or services do not hesitate to contact me. We can always use more support.




It doesn’t take much to make a difference

There is less than 1 week left to enter to win a ConAgra Foods gift basket for hosting your own Child Hunger Ends Here rally to raise awareness, funds or food to #fightchildhunger.

I’m hosting a neighborhood Block Party in Baltimore, MD  with a bounce house, games, food and fun but you don’t need to do something so elaborate. Virtually any effort you make for this cause will not only count as chances to win but will also make a great impact in your community.
Here are some simple ideas for your own neighborhood rally

  • gather your mom friends for playdate and ask each family to bring a food donation for a local food pantry
  • let your children host a Lemonade Stand outside neighborhood grocery store
  • ask local elementary school to run a Penny Drive and donate proceeds to Feeding America
  • Invite family for dinner and use participating ConAgra Foods as the meal’s ingredients
  • take advantage of spring weather and host your own yard sale
  • host a bake sale at your place of worship

I told you it doesn’t take a lot of work, money or effort. The possibilities are endless.  Use your imagination, use your environment just add an extra step into your everyday to help the 17 million children who are hungry each day. So far over 350 rallies have been registered across the United States. Get yours registered and enter to win a goody filled basket from ConAgra Foods and Desperate Housewives.

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.




ConAgra Food’s Child Hunger Ends Here Celebrity Auction Rummage Sale

There are many ways to make a difference in the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Neighborhood rallies, bake sales, dinner parties and more are happening all over the United States. Hollywood is holding a Celebrity Auction. Clothes Off Our Back lets you bid on some of your favorite star’s own merchandise. Here’s a teeny sampling of what’s for grabs.

David Arquette’s own HOMESCHOOLED t-shirt from his closet
Kathy Ireland’s Peacock Platter from her Home Collection
Holly Robinson Peete Autographed book My Brother Charlie

That was just a sampling of all the different products you can find. There is something for everyone; handbags, Twilight goodies, Sugarland music and clothing.

Bidding is going on till May 4th so take a peek over what’s available for a HUGE array of celebrities from all branches of entertainment. Remember ALL proceeds benefit Feeding America to help end child hunger now.

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.