Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Fight Child Hunger in the US

posted by Stacie on August 12, 2015 // 34 Comments »

I was asked to participate in the #FacesBehindHunger campaign, sponsored by ConAgra Foods. Although I have been compensated, all opinions are my own.

I didn't grow up hungry. What I mean by that is that we always had food. We didn't go without or struggle to get food on the table. My parents both worked and while we may have had to wear thrift store clothes, my parents were always smart about where they spent their money when there wasn't much of it.

Years after meeting my husband (he is pictured above), he shared some details of his childhood and about growing up hungry. He lived in an urban area with the word gun in its nickname.

He loved going to school because for him it meant that he would get two meals a day. He shined shoes for a while in a bar at around nine to 10 years old. He could earn enough money to buy one of those huge pickles that are near the registers in gas stations/ convenience stores. One pickle a day is what he would eat on the weekend and from one of those large pickles he would divide up how many hours a day he would be awake then eat a certain portion every hour.

My husband used to stand at the end of the cafeteria line and ask students for their dime after they paid for lunch. Lunches cost 90 cents and this was back when everyone carried cash for lunch. He could stand there and rack up $1 in just a few minutes by asking every kid for their dime of change. These kids just handed it over.

I never ever had to think about food in those terms and I truly didn't realize about the amount of hunger in America until he told me his story. This breaks my heart that he had to experience this. The fact is he also shared that he considered himself lucky because he told me that there were people who had a lot less than he did.

Hunger is America is widespread and no matter what you think, it is all around us. The face of hunger can look like absolutely anyone.

Things You Can Do Right Now to Help Fight Hunger in the US

1. Tell your kids what we have told our kids. If they ever see a kid asking for money for food in the cafeteria, to give him or her a few dollars. We have put $2-3 dollars in each kids lunchbox so they can help people whenever they need to. If they notice that someone doesn't have a lot for lunch or seems hungry, they are welcome to pack that person a sandwich. My daughters have both done this a few times.

2. Organize a food drive at your school or through the Scouts. We have done this several times and been able to collect a lot of cans which we then donate to our local food pantry. I encourage you to connect first with your local food bank as they may have collection bins for you.

3. Volunteer at local organizations who help fight hunger. We have volunteered several times in many different ways. First, we packed boxes of food at our local community food bank. We recently visited the NYC Food Bank and saw a room of volunteers packing hams. My son immediately wanted to volunteer. Both because he loves ham (they weren't handing any out) but because he saw that it was something he could do. He could help box or unbox things. It is a wonderful thing when your own child tells you that he wants to volunteer at the food bank.

Dan Cinquemani, VP of Food Distribution for Food Bank for New York City, said that the food bank is always in need of volunteers to give their time just as much as they need money. They need people to help in the warehouse and they offer various hours to fit around schedules so if you can't give money, your time is just as valuable. {See where we toured the Food Bank for New York City and interviewed Dan}

4. Grocery shop with ConAgra in mind. You can buy specially marked packages of ConAgra Foods^® brands they will donate a meal to Feeding America.^® For each 8-digit code entered at www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com, ConAgra Foods will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America. “One code = one meal to Feeding America.” Find the list of participating brands here.

About Child Hunger Ends Here^®

ConAgra Foods^® has been committed to ending child hunger in America for nearly 20 years. This year, it's our goal to put 3 million meals on the table for kids who are food insecure, one code and one meal at a time. Be a part of the movement! Simply look for the red pushpin on specially marked packages, and enter the code—it's that easy.

Look for these participating brands from ConAgra Foods^® and King's Hawaiian^® when you're looking for the red pushpin and code to support Child Hunger Ends Here. Check your pantry for brands you might already have, or add them to your grocery list. It's just one more reason to feel good about the food you love.

You would never think in a million years that my chef (irony, right?) husband is one the #FacesBehindHunger because he is the biggest foodie I know. He has a pretty sophisticated palette yet he still likes pickles. But the fact is that he is one of those faces. There are nearly 16 million kids in the United States who are

The facts about hunger are staggering and yes, there is absolutely something you can do. I implore you to remember that the Faces Behind Hunger are different everywhere. I encourage to get involved in your community and find out how you can help end child hunger. I can say without 100% certainly that within my immediate family, Child Hunger Ends Here. We do our part.

At the very least, please follow these social handles and share whenever you can.