Thinking about Child Hunger in America

Amy 24/7
Child Hunger Ends Here
Child Hunger Ends Here

You know when something is presented to you at the right moment, how it can really make you sit down and think? How it makes you want to absorb as much information as you possibly can and how it even makes you feel like getting more involved? Well, I have been presented with an opportunity like that.

I'm teaming up with ConAgra Foods and 18 other bloggers to help spread the word about the Child Hunger Ends Here program. I like to get involved. I like to learn as much as I can about causes that really matter and I like educating people. This one is a pretty big deal to me.

I have just learned that nearly one in four children in America live in "food insecure households", meaning, almost 25% of the kids in the U.S.:

a) barely get a meal
b) get meals that are not nutritious
c) don't get a meal at all for some reason or another.

Think about your friends, family and neighbors. Do you really know their situation? You might think they are all well off and don't have an issue with keeping their pantries stocked but, do you really know? Maybe it's you.

Do you really know if their (your) kids are getting nutritious meals; meals that help ensure full concentration in school or satisfactory performance in extracurricular activities? Have you ever taken a test on an empty stomach or jogged around the high school football field after polishing off a bag of greasy potato chips and a bottle of pop? Yeah, not so good. Been there, done that.

Child hunger should be an important issue for all of us. It is our responsibility to make sure our kids are eating healthy meals and are not "starving". Sit down and think about it for a minute, like I have.

Do you want to know something? I am that one in four family.

We have one steady income (knock on wood) and from week to week, we sit on pins and needles, hoping nothing "out of the ordinary" happens, like, a car breaking down or appliances crapping out.

So, as I take a long, hard look at my very own situation, I am thrilled to learn more and help raise awareness about the Child Hunger Ends Here program.

This Saturday, March 19th, NBC will air a 30-minute special with Al Roker about the Child Hunger Ends Here program. You can even participate and follow our discussion on Twitter under the hashtag #ChildHungerEndsHere.

I have so much more to share, so stay tuned...please...