Seeing My Hometown Through a New Lens
Posted by Katherine Campbell on Wednesday, March 24, 2010
|
The day was packed from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. During those 9 hours, the group was faced with two realities: childhood hunger exists, but so does a band of local leaders who are determined to end it.
We saw firsthand that hunger is a devastating crisis in Houston and in America. Texas has the highest rate of child food insecurity in the country (16.3%) and a quarter of children in Houston’s Harris County live at or below the poverty level. Last week, we met and talked with many parents and children who face hunger. Due to economic hardships and challenging circumstances, these families don’t always know where their next meal is going to come from.
However, I am thankful that the story doesn’t end there. We also met with committed leaders who fight hunger through innovative programs every day. We were able to visit with six different organizations throughout the day. We spent the morning with Kids Meals, a young organization that serves 1,200 healthy meals to kids 0-5 years old each day and by this summer plans to serve an additional 200 meals.
At Kids Meals we learned that because of one 8 year old boy, who was picking up sandwiches each day for himself and his little sister, Kids Meals changed the way they make all of their lunches. He asked the Kids Meals team not to put mustard and mayo on both pieces of bread, because he needed to save the bread for his dinner. This is only one example of the heart breaking realities that our team learned about last week.
At noon, we ate lunch at Small Steps Nurturing Center, a preschool and kindergarten for at risk children in Houston’s 5th ward. And during the afternoon we met with Target Hunger, the Houston Independent School District, The Houston Food Bank, and The Holthouse Boys and Girls Club.
Over the next few weeks, my colleague Alice and I will be sharing stories, photos, and lessons learned from this trip. For me, this will be a hometown report and a chance to learn new things about a place I assumed I knew. As we share stories from Houston, please join with us and share stories of hunger and hunger fighters from your city.
March 24, 2010 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: childhood hunger, education, school breakfast
Post a comment
All fields are required (your e-mail address will not be displayed)