This post was written by the Experimental Mommy. While I was compensated for my time and effort through ConAgra Food and The Motherhood, all opinions remain 100% mine.
Living in New Orleans has lots of advantages: the food, the music, the culture and the friendly people to name a few. While not traditionally thought of as a family-friendly venue, there are so many activities in the City for my girls. We often play tourist in our City and head downtown for a day of fun at the French Market, Cafe du Monde or the Audubon Aquarium.
Along with the fun comes a dose of reality. Like any major urban area, New Orleans is not without it’s problems. As we stroll through the City, you are faced with the issues of the homeless and hungry. Explaining why these people are sleeping on the streets and begging for money to my children is heartbreaking.
Until now, my girls have seen the World through rose colored glasses. The realization that not everyone gets three meals a day and rests their heads on a comfy pillow at night was a lot to handle for them. My husband and I took the opportunity to talk to the girls about those less fortunate that us and what we can do to help.
I am proud to say that I have raised two very compassionate girls. When they learned that even children can be effected by hunger, they wanted to know more. I explained that 21.5 million kids rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year but when school is out for Summer, only 2.3 million children participate in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). That leaves many kids not sure when or where their next meal will come from.
Fortunately, there are many kind-hearted people in the World that want to help, too. For example, ConAgra Foods developed “Hunger-Free Summer” grants to support food banks around the Country. The program – now in its fourth year – has supported the delivery of more than 2.5 million meals and snacks to children struggling with hunger over the summer.
My girls both attend a Catholic elementary school who often organizes a canned good drive to support our local food bank, Second Harvest of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana. Because the girls witnessed first hand what the face of hunger looks like during our trip to the City, they finally understood why we bring the canned goods to school.
How else can you help? Actor (and father of five) Chris O’Donnell has joined forces with ConAgra Foods to help bring awareness to the issue by creating a simple way for everyone to get involved. Simply watch this short video to join the fight against hunger! For every view, a meal is donated.
Talking to the kids about hunger was not an easy task. But watching them work together to help be a part of the solution made me realize that talking about hunger with your kids is a positive thing! Be a part of the solution, too, and share the Chris O’ Donnell video with your friends and family.
That’s fantastic! It’s great to hear that your girls understood why you bring canned goods. I wish someone would have explained this to me when I was younger. I think a lot of parents think it will burden their children to teach them about these things, but I think it is those conversations that are formative and lead your children to make the right decisions in life. Good on you!