Earlier this month I brought up the topic of child hunger and the fact that there are 16 million children struggling with hunger in the United States. I still find that figure staggering, especially when you stop to think that amount translates to mean that 1 in 5 American children don't know where there next meal is coming from.
For those of us that don’t have to worry about each meal, it can be hard to imagine how hard it could be to be in that situation ourselves. But, it’s important to not only step back and try to see ourselves in those difficult shoes but also to see what we can do to help. Child hunger is a BIG problem, but many people taking small measures to help can also make a BIG impact.
To help shine a light on what hunger in America looks like today, Unilever Project Sunlight is focusing their efforts on child hunger this fall and encouraging people to get involved. They have lots of ideas of ways you can join in to help turn the tables on child hunger. Here are a just a few ideas:
Share A Meal Potluck – Host neighboring families for a dinner and invite a family in need to join you.
Get Your Community Involved – Partner with a local community organization to host community potluck in your area.
Local Food Drives - Organize your very own food drive or utilize the Feeding America online Food Bank Locator tool to get in touch with a local food bank and volunteer at a food drive.
Host a Virtual Food Drive - Plan a virtual food drive using the Feeding America Personal Fundraiser tool and promote participation in your community or social groups.
This weekend my family got involved by hosting our own food drive. Whenever my family gets together, food is always a central focus of the celebration. We love spending time together and eating good food. To make the meal happen, everyone brings along food that they have prepared for everyone to share.
On Saturday, our town had its big annual Halloween parade. Our house is only a half block from the parade route, so it’s the perfect place for family and friends to gather, watch the parade, and then come back to my house for a big meal.
But this year, we did things a little differently. Everyone brought not only food for us to share during our celebration, but also brought food to share with other families in need. We were able to collect over 40 pounds of food!
I encourage YOU to get involved too! Please visit Unilever Project Sunlight to discover how you can help by volunteering, sharing a meal or holding a food drive. We have made it easy to help by providing a monetary donation. Funds are always needed by local food banks to purchase food. Each dollar donated can provide 10 meals, so a donation of any size (even $1) can make a big difference! Visit the Thrifty Jinxy Virtual Food Drive to make a donation of any amount.
Carly Anderson says
What a wonderful project! It’s so important to be able to give to those who are less fortunate than us.
Camesha | Mama Motivator says
This is an awesome way to give back. It’s so needed. Truly, no child should ever be hungry.
Tess says
A great way to give back. I hate to think of any child to be hungry.
SusieQTpies says
This is such a neat idea. Im going to do it with my girls. Thanks for the information.
Estelle says
What a great way to give back to the community. I really hate to think of children out there who are hungry. Glad that through Project Sunlight we can all help.
Dawn says
Project Sunlight sounds like a great organization. Teaching kids to help others in need is great way to help them grow into wonderful people!
Rosey says
The statistics are astounding, aren’t they? It’s very heart touching and inspiring, and I love the Share a Meal program.
Jeanine @ sixtimemommy.com says
This is a wonderful and great project! So important, we donate as much as we can. I hate seeing or hearing of ANY kid being hungry!
Debbie L. says
I donate monthly to our local food pantry. It is scary how many people are hungry.
melisasource says
What an awesome initiative this is! It is always great to give back and help others.
Christie says
SO glad Unilever is getting involved with this. So many families could use help at this time of year
Veronica says
Greta cause, and a great way to get ids to help with volunteering. feeding a family in need is a big blessing
Krystal says
It’s a great campaign to join. When we all do a little, we can accomplish A LOT!
Theresa says
We try to donate to the drives year round, but I admire companies that are stepping up to do their part to help end hunger. It is baffling that so many in this great country don’t get enough to eat!
Tiffany (A Mom's Take) says
I really like that it’s so easy to help and donate food. I’m going to put together some food and get my kids to help me donate it.