Being an educator, I work with children on a regular basis. Since I move from school to school and classroom to classroom, I am not often aware of the children who are going without. I look at the classroom, and I sometimes wonder what makes up their home life. Especially when a kid acts out. On Maslow’s hierarchy of need (something educators will know well), basic needs such as hunger and safety are the most important things for anyone. How can a child learn if they didn’t have breakfast, only have a meager lunch, and may not be going home to eat a dinner tonight?
I am grateful that I am part of the Global Team of 200 with Mom Bloggers for Social Good. This past month, one of our campaigns has been working with No Kid Hungry. It is estimated that one in five children in the U.S. struggle with hunger. That means that in a typical classroom of 25-30, there are at least five or six students who struggle with hunger. When the students are young, it is easier to get them to tell let an adult know that he or she is hungry. But once they become teens, they don’t want anyone to know. It’s not cool to talk about such things. In fact, many kids would rather get the latest smartphone and computer game while giving up a meal.
So what can we do about this problem? I think the first thing you can do is just be aware of it. Don’t turn a blind eye to it. You can donate to the program directly on the link I gave you above. You can even take the pledge on their page so you can stay up-to-date with their work via e-mail.
I honestly had no idea that this problem was as great as it is. And I hate to say that things are probably going to keep getting worse if something is not done about it. Get the word out there. Involve your community. It is the easiest thing in the world to turn a blind eye and do nothing. But that is not what we should do. If everyone thinks that your neighbor will do it, our poor kids are going to suffer. And they are our future!
Image used with permission from Microsoft.
