In a few weeks it will be Thanksgiving. That means family, friends, football and FOOD… lots and lots of delicious food. I don’t know about you but usually the day before Thanksgiving I don’t eat much because I want to leave plenty of room for the turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, apple pie and all the mouth-watering foods that are a part of our Thanksgiving feast.
Kids look forward to Thanksgiving too, often for the same reasons, but also because they know they get a few days off from school.
In most schools across the country the only meals some school children get are from school meal programs. According to the USDA 16 MILLION children in the United States live in “food insecure” households? Food insecure means homes where often there is not any food to eat. That is a staggering 22% of the children in the United States live in poverty and are lacking in proper nutrition due to lack of food.
In 2009 it was found that the states with the highest number of children in “food insecure” households were Washington DC, Oregon, Arizona, Arkansas and Texas. Wow! I am really shocked to hear that. States with the lowest food insecure households (meaning the household has a regular supply of food) are North Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusettes.
Thankfully for free or low cost school meal programs, these children are able to get a decent meal. But what happens when school is not in session? What happens to these children on Thanksgiving when schools are closed? While you and I are enjoying a bounty of delicious foods, the children whose only meal might come from the school meal programs are at home looking forward to when the kids go back to school so that they can eat too. If that doesn’t make you feel guilty and horrible, I don’t know what will. Suddenly the idea of an apple pie, green bean casserole and mouth watering turkey doesn’t sound as good.
Thankfully there are programs in place to help provide children with food while school is not in session.
Feeding America has a program called BackPack. BackPack helps to provide children with healthy and nutritious foods to get them through until school is back in session.
A typical backpack could contiain some of the following products (as an example).
- Cereal
- Breakfast Bars
- Milk
- Pudding
- Beef Stew
- Apple, Grape or Orange Juice
- Sunflower Seeds
- Diced Apple Food Cups
- Mixed Fruit Cups
- Vienna Sausage
- Apple Sauce
These are only a few examples of the foods found inside the special backpacks provided by Feeding America and it’s network of 200 food banks.
In some cases there might be extra food for younger siblings.
The BackPack program serves more then 230,000 children each year. There are approximately 5,000 sites set up at schools and 150 more BackPack sites set up Feeding American partners and distribution centers.
As you know not getting enough to eat can have a huge impact on a child’s life. Children whose nutritional needs are not met often has physical problems. They can also have mental and behavioral issues. Hunger also affects a child’s development and can have a huge implication on their readiness for school and academic achievements.
As a parent my heart not only goes out to these children, but also their parents too. I can’t imagine hearing my child cry that they are starving and knowing there is nothing I can do about it. I’m actually getting a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about it.
There IS something you and I can do. We could donate funds to Feeding America so that they can purchase foods to put inside the backpacks. We can also donate our time by volunteering at a local food bank.
You can also like and share videos found on the Feeding America website with family, friends, co-workers and others that you network with to help bring attention to the Feeding America programs.
Speaking of videos, here is a video about the BackPack program. If you have a moment could you please watch it?
For more Feeding America videos you could also check out their YouTube page, http://www.YouTube.com/user/FeedingAmerica.
You can also help by starting a food bank in your area or creating a special campaign to help bring in food and monetary donations for a local food bank.
I think Feeding American’s BackPack program is a fantastic idea. It’s nice to know that they are doing what they can to help ensure that children don’t go hungry.
To learn more about Feeding America please visit www.FeedingAmerica.org. You can also follow them on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/FeedingAmerica and on Twitter, www.Twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.
Kimberly
*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this information for the benefit of my site readers and to help shed light on a great charity. No child should go hungry – ever!
this is a great cause.. thanks for sharing!:)
I am so glad you wrote about this worthwhile program! I have seen ravenous kids devour every bit of their school lunches including the overcooked veggies.
Thank you for featuring the BackPack program and Feeding America in your post. Thank you for your support!
- Ryan Young (http://feedingamerica.org)