Even in our great country, not everyone has enough to eat every day. You may notice other kids at your school who eat their food very quickly, or don’t have any lunch at all. Their families may not have enough money to buy the nutritious food kids need to eat every day.

You can help in many different ways. First, be sensitive to other kids who don’t have much or anything to eat at meal times, to families who receive assistance such as food stamps and reduced-meal prices, and to those who use food pantries or soup kitchens to provide enough food for their families. There are many reasons people need help; you may never know why.

You can also become more aware of the problem of hunger and food insecurity in your community. Do you know where a food bank or pantry is in your community? Do you ever see someone who may be hungry? Learning more about hunger will help you get more involved in the fight against hunger.

Back to top

Ways Kids Can Help

There are many ways you can help reduce hunger in your community:

• Plan a food drive with your school, neighborhood, place of worship or after-school group. Click here for tips on planning a food drive.
• Volunteer with your class or family at a local food assistance program.
• Ask friends and family to donate food or money instead of giving presents to you for a birthday or bar/bat mitzvah.
• Ask your teacher or parent about taking a field trip to Connecticut Food Bank. Have them contact us to arrange a date and time.
• Donate money that you and your classmates would otherwise spend on snacks to CFB or a local food assistance program.
• Write a poem or story about hunger and share it with your class and family.
• Make a poster to illustrate the problem of hunger and what can be done to help.
• Write a letter to your local newspaper and political leaders asking them to be more involved in fighting hunger.
• Observe National Hunger Awareness Day by donating money you would otherwise spend on a snack or working on a volunteer project to a hunger-relief organization. Visit www.hungerday.org for more information.
• Talk to your parents about donating money to hunger-relief charities.
• Try not to waste food at home or school. Don’t fill your plate with more than you can eat, just to throw it away later.

Back to top

Return to Main Kids page