Many parents don’t realize the struggles that fellow parents go through to ensure their family have enough to eat. Most are more concerned with their kids finishing what’s on their plate and don’t have to be concerned with than putting enough on the plate.
But do you that more than 1 in 10 households in the US experience food insecurity? That knowledge may encourage your kids to cherish the food on their plate and the fact that you have worked hard to keep them from going hungry.
But the speech of “do you know there are people who are starving in the world” only goes so far. Firsthand experience helps people see, feel, and better understand who fortunate they are. Getting your kids to volunteer in a food bank or soup kitchen so they get hands on experience with what it takes to feed a family is one of the best ways to gain perspective.
In fact, the word “volunteer” often seems be synonymous with “soup kitchen”. You may have the mental image of chopping up vegetable to make a soup or standing behind the counter to serve soup or a meal. A commercial kitchen is probably not the best place for kids but there are a lot more students can do to help alleviate food insecurity. Here are just a few ideas.
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Donation sorting Stocking food pantries is both a good physical exercise and a team work experience.
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Distribution day helper From managing lines and crowd to helping hand out of food packages.
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Food buyer Students are handed $10 and brought to Walmart to procure groceries for a family of four. Students will quickly learn how difficult is it for family live on a weekly budget of $60/person.
See what’s available on the RRC volunteering platform at www.foo-moo.com.
