Help Hungry Kids This Summer #SummerofGiving
I participated in this program on behalf of Champions for Kids and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.
The National School Lunch Program provides free and low-cost lunch and breakfast to children who meet income guidelines. But, when school is out, that’s two less nutritious meals or no meals at all. There’s a way to help hungry kids with Champions for Kids:
SIMPLE Service Project
Champions for Kids’ motto is, “All children should have: Someone who cares; a Place to belong; Hope for tomorrow and provisions for their journey. All children.” This summer they are asking us to help with provisions – food. The SIMPLE Service Project is just that, simple. You can do it with your family, friends or a group.
Just visit your local Walmart’s frozen food aisle. Look for Tyson, Birds Eye, and State Fair foods and purchase as much as you can. Donate that food to a food pantry, food bank, homeless shelter, or other organization that needs food. Take your children along with you so they can see firsthand what is going on in their own neighborhood. It is a good experience for them to know the truth about hunger so they have a loving heart for those in need.
With the Summer of Giving program, Champions for Kids wants to reach a goal of 5 million meals this summer and I know it can be done! Giving back gives you that good feeling that nothing else can compare. As another incentive, share your SIMPLE Service project and be entered to win $25,000 for your school. Please note – this ends July 9th.
My SIMPLE Service Project
I was given a $100 Walmart Gift Card to buy Birds Eye, Tyson and State Fair frozen foods. My daughter and I went shopping, trying to get as much food as possible with our budget. She used a calculator to add up the prices as we chose what would be best for the food bank we were going to donate to.
After our shopping trip, which took about 30 minutes, we drove to Jericho Road Ministries. Besides their food pantry, which provides food for adults and families, they have a homeless shelter with programs to help people get work or go to college.
We got assistance unloading the bags of food and kept hearing, “thank you” from every person we encountered. No matter how many times I explained that I didn’t pay for the food, it didn’t matter. One volunteer explained that they were grateful for us taking the time to buy the food and drive there.
That made me feel guilty and sad. I know that I don’t do enough volunteering any more. When my daughter and I got back in our car, we talked about how something so simple can do so much. From now on, when we go shopping we’ll look for sales and buy extra. Then save it until we have a nice amount and drive to donate again.
Hunger in the United States
We know that children are hungry and that it can be much worse during the summer when they are out of school. I can’t sit back knowing that and doing nothing to help.
“More than 16 million children in the United States – 22% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level.” – National Center for Children in Poverty
“Among the world’s 35 economically advanced countries, America ranks at the bottom of relative child poverty, second only to Romania.” – United Nations Measuring Child Poverty, May 2012
Knowing these statistics, don’t you want to help hungry kids this summer? And throughout the year? Besides the Summer of Giving SIMPLE Service Project, take a look at other ways to help through Champions for Kids.
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