'Sesame Street' debuts new poverty-stricken character to teach kids about hunger issues

Meet Lily. She's a seven-year-old muppet and new arrival to "Sesame Street" who like, many children-puppets her age, loves her friends, family, and headbands. However, unlike many her age, Lily is seriously struggling with getting enough food each day and living within a family deep in the throes of poverty.

Lily is the star of a new primetime special called 'Growing Hope Against Hunger', a program that's meant to teach kids about America's hunger crisis, which currently affects nearly 17 million U.S. families.

During the hour-long show (which airs this Sunday, October 9, on PBS), Lily and fellow muppet friends like Elmo and Rosita address her family's food shortage and explore community-based solutions like planning a drive for the local food bank and visiting a neighborhood garden to see how food can be grown locally. Deeper messages about hope, support, and giving back are conveyed through songs and that signature "Sesame Street" sincerity-silliness. Country star Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams Paisley are featured alongside the muppets and kids.

ABC news reports that creation of Lily took months of research, which included many interviews with poverty-stricken families and children. Everything from Lily's dress to the way she speaks is meant to represent the "everyday girl."

"It's an invisible crisis," the "Sesame Street" spokesperson told ABC news, "and that's why we really thought that bringing a primetime special that addresses what parents and children are going through can bring hope and resources, and also for the general public, let them know about this invisible crisis and how they can help."


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