Children Around us with No Food

Living here in the part of the world that has an abundance of food, it's hard to believe that their are so many children all around us that don't have enough to eat. It is very heartbreaking for me when I think of a hungry child.

I have a completely different feeling about hungry children than I do hungry adults. If an adult that's able and in good health is without food, maybe it's time to learn how to take care of yourself and go earn some money to feed yourself!

But, in the case of a starving child, it's different. Children can't go get a job. They are dependent on someone to help them get their next meal.

There are actually kids that get their only meals at school thru a lunch program. And when they go home on Friday, they may not get their next meal until Monday when they come back to school. Again, this is very sad.

They're kids like the boy who boasted one day to the cooks at his elementary school that his sister is the "best cook ever" because she made ketchup soup for him the night before.

School Nutrition Association President Gay Anderson, the child nutrition director for Brandon Valley Schools in Brandon said, "The story of the child who liked his sister's ketchup soup concoction isn't as isolated as some might believe. Similar or worse stories are told every day in America, in every city."

Childhood hunger is a completely solvable and fixable problem. The easiest way to help is to donate to local food banks. Also talk to your local food bank and offer your time to sort food and snack packs, assemble food boxes or help with distribution.

There's a major difference between just being hungry and not knowing where your next meal will come from.