Hungry In Delco?

Clipart from 123rf

I live is a relatively affluent part of Delaware County. Most people where I live don't have to worry about their next meal...or do they? With the way the economy is today you never know if your neighbor is facing bankruptcy or losing their home or even just doesn't have enough food to eat. Many food banks in the area have closed or cut back on how much food a family can get. Sometimes a family's food supplies run out before the month is half over. What to do?

The real question should be why aren't we each individually doing something? Why aren't more of us actively providing food for our less fortunate neighbors? How often do you go to the store and could pick up a product that is 10 for $10 and could drop it off at the food bank? Or you could fill out a form to give to your local food bank? Or we could use the dollars we get back from CVS to buy foodstuffs for the food pantry?

Often we do these things around the holidays and forget to give during the rest of the year. News flash--people are hungry all year round. Hunger doesn't stop just because you gave over the holidays. And it's not just a single person who is hungry, it's entire families. Families with medical issues that mean they can't go out to work. Families where there is abuse in the household. Families that are just POOR. More and more people are just that...POOR. We can't ignore the word. Poor is not a dirty word. It's a reality in the world today. Our world. My world. Your family's world. Our childrens' world in the future. Poverty is not going to go away but we can mitigate it. We can all do our best to help people are in need.

Sometimes I listen to senators and representatives talk about cutting entitlement programs. And I think of the lines at the food pantries and want to scream at them YOU WANT TO CUT WHAT? If they have to cut something cut the ability of people to buy junk food (and yes you can still buy junk food with food stamps, also known as SNAP in Pennsylvania.) Provide them with healthy and fresh food and teach them how to cook it. Like other problems today good nutrition would help alleviate them.

Many medical problems have their roots in poor nutrition. Education problems often are partially due to poor nutrition. Anti-social and criminal behavior has been linked to poor nutrition. So more and better food will help solve a variety of problems. Sure, it won't happen all at once. It will take years. Yes, that's the disheartening part. No instant gratification. No magical transformation from the way things were to the way things can be.

But the real magic, the real magic is in the hearts of the people who reach out and give, people who pay it forward, or people who hope someone else will pay it forward in case their children ever need food. You will get instant gratification. Instantly feeling good about what you've done. So get out there. Give. The real magic is how good you'll feel doing it. Fill the bellies of hungry children. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Go Orange For Hunger Action Month

No, I'm not hungry. I'm one of the lucky ones. But that doesn't mean I'm not involved with FeedingAmerica.org. It doesn't mean I'm not going orange for hunger action month.

 

We all have a personal responsibility to help those in need. Whether we volunteer, or just drop off food at food banks, send a check, or invite a family we know is struggling to dinner we all can make an impact on hunger in America--hunger in our own communities--friends who are struggling, family who need help. Stop and think about who in your circle of friends and acquaintances might be hungry. Then take action.

 

The action you take may be different than what your neighbor does. This isn't a race to see 'who can top this.' This is about taking personal action and doing or donating what you can. Sometimes it's time, sometimes it's money, sometimes it is increasing awareness of hunger in our communities. Sometimes it's donating that overflow from your garden to someone who needs it.

 

 

Whether you set up a virtual food drive, give money on a monthly basis, or when it comes to someone's birthday, donate in their name, FeedingAmerica.org offers dozens of ways you can donate anything from $12 and up. $12 helps feed a child breakfast for three months--think of it--three months without a child going hungry each morning. What greater gift could there be?

 

It is also important in these days of legislative cutbacks to let your senators and representatives know that you want them to vote to keep food programs alive and well funded. There are many government programs that are simply waste. We need them to know this is a program that has non-negotiable cuts.

 

Go to  http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml  to find the names and addresses of your representatives. If you don't have time to write a personal letter to your elected officials set up a tweet that you can re-tweet frequently to remind them of your priorities. Post on their facebook pages. Get their attention using whatever means you like.

They work for you--be sure they know taking action against hunger is top priority.

 

To find out more about hunger and FeedingAmerica.org look for blogging sites that have 'gone orange' for the month. Hear personal stories that will tug at your your heart. And then do something about it.

 

Are you a blogger looking for information? Read Creating Motherhood. It is all about a call to action. Will  you help fight hunger in our country? I hope the answer is yes.

 

Hunger In Our Schools

I used to volunteer in my daughter's classroom. One little girl was always cranky, had a problem paying attention, and one morning I realized that noise I heard was her stomach growling! That was when hunger in the suburbs hit home. Not my home, but one down the street from me. In a relatively affluent suburb. A little girl went to school hungry. And as I learned more about the problem I found that she wasn't the only one.

Share Our Strength released its 2012 Annual Teacher's Survey it reported that "a majority of teachers say they have kids in their classes who regularly come to school hungry." How do we expect kids to pay attention, to learn to the best of their abilities when they are worrying about such basics as having enough food to eat? No child should have this worry. The impact hunger has on students is devastating, whether it's constant illness, behavior issues, or an inability to concentrate.

What can you do?

• Contact your local lawmakers. Let them know fighting hunger in schools is a priority. Give them the details of why they should fund school breakfast programs.
• Support school breakfasts in your school district. Supporting school breakfasts helps reduce the behavior problems in our classrooms (so all our children can learn better) and lets all students concentrate on learning, not how hungry they feel.
• Help teachers spread the word about the program so there is no stigma attached to having breakfast at school. For parents sometimes one of the hardest things to do is ask for help.
• Have your PTA/PTO support stop hunger initiatives.
• Support a healthy snack program in your schools. Whether it is school provided or parent provided, encouraging healthy snacks encouraging a better learning environment.
• Support your local food bank or church bread basket. Make it a family project to find healthy inexpensive items to donate to food banks. Use couponing to make this financially feasible for you.

Help Share Our Strength support funding of school breakfast programs by visiting http://www.strength.org/teachers/ to take the No Kid Hungry® pledge, take action and share the report.