Service Project for Kids: Working to Eradicate Childhood Hunger

Did you know that 1 in 5 kids is at risk for childhood hunger, affecting every county in the US?! That means that 16 million kids in the US aren’t getting the food they need. It’s mind-blowing, it’s tragic, and it’s in our own backyards.

My kids and I recently connected with a local organization called Lunches of Love that helps to fight child hunger; we donated lunch items, and spent the afternoon assembling lunches for kids in need. Here’s how you can get involved in your area.

For more than 20 years, ConAgra Foods has been committed to fighting child hunger in America, donating food, and investing in partnerships to find solutions that are within reach. Solving child hunger isn’t something we can do alone!  They’ve partnered with Soul Pancake to hear what kids thought about the issue and ways we all might be able to help.

First, check out this inspiring video, where kids talk about childhood hunger, and share their ideas that will help to create a better future.

When we found out that kids in our communities were struggling to get nutritious meals, we wanted to learn more. With the help of ConAgra Foods we were able to donate the items most needed for the lunches, so that kids in our community would have meals when their school cafeterias weren’t open.

After shopping for juice boxes, containers of fruit, peanut butter, and Chef Boyardee (all at their request!:), we headed to “Lunches of Love” to deliver the goods, and work as a team to assemble the meals.

At Lunches of Love, we spent an afternoon packing lunches for nearby kids who don’t have enough to eat on a daily basis. The organization we worked with is committed to helping end childhood hunger in our local area by providing a free nutritious sack lunch during extended school holidays and weekends. The kids got to decorate lunch bags with cheerful messages and pictures. Next, we worked in an assembly line to make sure each lunch had all of the components. A delivery van would take the lunches to the children when we finished packing them into bins. It was such a touching experience to work side by side with children of all ages, up through adults. The kids especially understood that they were tangibly helping others, and could see the results of their hard work.

There are easy ways for families to get involved in the fight against Child Hunger and make a difference in their own community:

• Visit www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com to learn more and for inspirational project ideas. and the ConAgra Foods Foundation are harnessing the power of youth to tackle this issue in neighborhoods across the country.
• Discover more about ConAgra Foods’ approach to fighting child hunger at www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com.
• Tell us how you and your family are fighting child hunger in your community using the #FightHungerTogether hashtag.
• Use these 7 in-depth lesson ideas to teach kids about hunger and food insecurity