What scares you? Do spiders make you want to scream? Does flying give you a fright? Me? Oh lots of things frighten me, moths for example, give me the creeps. Little fuzzy flying things, nope, no thanks, not for me. Thankfully one thing that I am fortunate enough not to have to fear is how I'm going to provide a hot meal for my family. There are other parents that face that fear far too often. Some of them are your neighbors, parents of your children's friends, maybe even a co-worker.
The USDA Economic Research Department states that 14.3% percent of Americans lived in home where there wasn't always enough food to go around the dinner table. How many people does that translate to? Let me show you...
In 2013:
- 49.1 million people lived in food-insecure households.
- 12.2 million adults lived in households with very low food security.
- 8.6 million children lived in food-insecure households in which children, along with adults, were food insecure.
- 765,000 children (1.0 percent of the Nation's children) lived in households in which one or more child experienced very low food security.
The numbers are hard to digest. Attached to each of those numbers is a family, mothers, fathers, little boys and girls, that live in our towns.
How do we fix it? I don't know. I can't feed all 49 million of my neighbors, but I can help feed at least one. I donated to ScaryMommy.com's Thanksgiving Project campaign, that reaches out to families in need to provide them with a holiday meal to share. If you'd like to donate too, you can do so here
If you prefer to make a contribution that will remain in our community, Rowan Helping Ministries and The Salvation Army accept donations for their food pantries year round. Canned fruits, canned vegetables, canned meats, pastas, peanut butter, dried beans, and non-perishable breakfast items are in constant demand. Look for opportunities to donate to these organizations in the upcoming weeks at Partners In Learning. Please consider supporting these very worth causes.
Crystal Drye
NC PreK Assistant Teacher
Sources
No comments:
Post a Comment