As a parent one of the many things I try to teach the boys is selflessness. In order to do this we take one day a week to volunteer in our community. Many times we have harvested the community garden food pantry plots and delivered the goods to the pantry. Today I decided we would tour our local food pantry.
One of the volunteers that help run the food pantry took us on a tour of the facility and explained to the boys how they are able to keep the shelves stocked. We were very pleased to find out that our local Hannaford Supermarket donates a large variety of foods. Along with the donations that they collect from shoppers like us.
The food pantry also receives food from the central food bank. This is where the donations the you leave for the mail carriers to take go. The donations arrive at the food bank and are then distributed to the local food pantries.
We were both shocked and saddened to find out that 16 million kids in America aren’t getting the food they need. 16 Million that’s 1 in 5 kids!!! Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food. This exists in 17.2 million households in America, 3.9 million of them with children!
Did you know that summer time is the time of the year when most of these kids suffer. Mostly because they participate in the free or reduced lunch programs in their school. Hunger does NOT take a summer vacation! Let’s do all we can to help!!
According to the 2013 Summer Nutrition Status Report when the school year ends, millions of low-income children lose access to the school breakfasts and lunches they rely on. In recent years the Summer Nutrition Programs have struggled to meet the need because of budget cuts to state and local programs that support underlying summer programs for children out of school.
I am truly blessed by having food on my table for my boys everyday. I can’t imagine the stress it causes parents who don’t have food. Many parents go without eating at meals so their children can. It saddens me that this is happening.
I encourage you to please help in any way that you can. Many Food pantries offer memberships to those who are willing and able to help. By only contributing a small amount every month the food pantry is able to provide many meals to hungry individuals. If you are not able to give monthly I ask that you please donate canned goods and pastas to your local food pantry whenever possible. Please let’s do whatever we can to try to help those less fortunate and as always let’s be thankful for all the wonderful things that we do have
