I participated in this program on behalf of Champions for Kids and The Motherhood. All opinions regarding how you can help kids in your own communities are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
How You Can Help Kids In Your Own Communities
I recently became aware of a wonderful program that helps feed breakfast to kids in my community who might not have breakfast otherwise. And there’s a good chance this program is in your community, too. If you ever went to school without breakfast or know of kids that do, you know how important this program is for kids.
When I was doing my student teaching there was a little boy who was always getting to school at the last minute or oftentimes even late. It was easy to see he came from a troubled life. Trust me, as a teacher, you know.
Getting to school late meant he couldn’t eat breakfast and as I soon discovered, he never ate breakfast at home, either.
This little boy broke my heart.
He had so much potential. I could see it. And for whatever reason, he took to me. As I was drawn to him… I wanted so much to see him excel.
But it is hard to do when you’re hungry. Our brains need fuel in the mornings to be able to function at its best. Especially when you 7-years-old.
I started bringing him breakfast, usually in the form of a cereal bar, each school day. I got rather creative in letting him eat without the other kids knowing. I also would put a few extra things in his backpack on Fridays.
That was quite a few years ago and I’ve moved away since, but I often wonder how that little boy turned out.
This is why I love The Champions for Kids program. They understand the need for kids to get a healthy breakfast to have a good start each day, so kids can be the best they can be.
What is Champions for Kids
- Champions for Kids makes it simple to give children in local communities the resources they need to thrive.
- Helping others does not have to come in large doses. Champions for Kids seeks to ignite generational change by fostering a ‘habit of giving’ among youth and parents in America.
- I was shocked to learn that 9.8 million kids (more than ever before) get free or reduced-price school breakfast on an average day, but 10.6 million eligible kids go without? Hunger has a huge effect on how a child performs at school. In fact, 9 out of 10 teachers say having a healthy breakfast is a key to academic achievement. And from my personal experience, I can attest to this.
- SIMPLE Giving is a Champions for Kids program that makes it “simple” for you to help kids in your community. To ensure children can eat breakfast and stay focused in school, Champions for Kids is teaming up with Kellogg Company and Diamond Foods for a SIMPLE Giving program.
- You can participate by simply purchasing and donating breakfast food items at your local participating Walmart from April 21 through May 5. If your Walmart store is participating, simply purchase breakfast foods and place them in the purple donation bins at the front of the store after checkout. To see a list of participating stores, click here.
- All of the donations go to children in the school district where the Walmart store is located!
Why Is It Important?
The first meal is the most important one of the day; however, 10% of U.S. kids in food-insecure homes aren’t guaranteed a breakfast! Breakfast is vital to a student’s academic success. In fact, 9 out of 10 teachers agree that breakfast plays a key role in students’ educations.
But even while 9.8 million kids – more than ever before – get free or reduced price school breakfast on average each day, 10.6 million eligible kids go without!
The Motherhood is joining Champions for Kids along with Kellogg Company and Diamond Foods for this Twitter party to spread the word about a simple way we can help ensure that kids in our communities enjoy a nutritious breakfast that will help them stay focused in school!
Anyone can participate in the SIMPLE Giving campaign by purchasing and donating breakfast food items at local, participating Walmart stores April 21 through May 5. All donations will go to children in schools near each participating Walmart store.
The school district that collects the most donated items from a single Walmart store in its division will also receive $10,000 from Champions for Kids. And the school district that collects the most donations from a Walmart store in its region will receive $1,000 from Champions for Kids. For a full list of participating stores, school districts, Walmart Divisions/Regions and official rules click here.
As you can see, it is so easy to give. And I know for a fact… it will do YOUR heart good.
It breaks my heart because we personally know some of the children who not only receive a free breakfast at school, but who utilize a local soup kitchen for dinners. It really hits you hard when you actually know the people and can put faces to the statistics. It’s not hard to take a few dollars and buy a few extra food items and drop them off at a soup kitchen or pantry. I’m always encouraging people to do that. It’s not just adults who are hungry.
Can a child who is hungry even learn well if they can’t concentrate?? No child should sit in school hungry, that is so sad!
I have to sometimes make my kids eat breakfast as they want to sleep instead I don’t know how anyone can go through the day without breakfast.
It breaks my heart to think of any child going hungry. I bet he will remember you and your kindness for many, many years to come.
LOVE this program! We are going to donate!
This is a wonderful campaign, and I agree with you wholeheartedly – no child should go hungry.
It is so had to wrap my brain around the idea of people going hungry in our country. So so sad.
It makes me sad that this is happening in the US! Thanks for spreading awareness.
What a great program!
What a wonderful cause!
What a great campaign! I’ve been thinking it’s time to take some things to our local food pantry.
This is such a great campaign! I know of many families who have to skip meals to make ends meet,and they have no choice in the matter. Thank you for sharing the details of this campaign.
I’ll mark the Twitter party on my calendar, but I can’t commit at this point.
It is so heartbreaking to hear about kids who go hungry. There is no excuse for it in this country! This is a great cause that hopefully changes the lives of some children.
What a great campaign. Breakfast is so important for all!
That was so good of you to help that kid. It broke my heart a bit hearing that story. I make sure my kids eat every morning.
That is a touching story (and so sad). I think this is a fabulous organization. I remember when I was in elementary school, my bus driver always had a jar of peanut butter and plastic spoons. In the morning, she would give kids a spoonful of peanut butter if they hadn’t eaten that day (I remember a couple she was always helping out).
Your son is so handsome! I can’t imagine my kids going hungry either, this is a fabulous initiative!
Champions for Kids is a great program. As a mother, it breaks my heart to know so many children must start school with an empty belly. Not to mention endure the weekend with less hot meals then necessary. Thank you for sharing.
I always try to make sure he gets something before school as well now, like a yogurt or granola bar, etc, even though he eats breakfast at school, I want to make sure he is eating enough.
What a great program!! I don’t have kids but it is something worth donating too for sure!
This sounds like a great program! It’s sad at just how many kids sit in school Hungry 🙁
What a great idea, I don’t think people realize how much this happens! Great cause!
I would love to get involved in something like this. I’ll look it up in my area.
Wonderful 😉 my kids n I have it tough and have had to go to the local community pantry before. Right now, we don’t have much, although we will help in ANY way we can! My children LOVE to help babies and kids of ALL ages 🙂 it makes my heart smile when they say,”Mamma, I don’t think this fits N E more, can we give it to the lil boys N girls who need it?” Or, “Mamma, w should finish all if our meal, some children don’t have anything to eat!” I’m so proud of them and love them so much. One day when we have our own home and a car to travel father, we will help even more and in any and all ways we can 😉 bless u all for everything that u do and for being here for me to be inspired by EVERYDAY. If it were not for all of my bloggin ladies (&Ive mentioned this before lol) and all the other people out there that make me smile and make available to me giveaways to enter for the kids and I, things would be smug worse for me.. Bless all of you and shine on!!
I hate that I missed the Twitter Party. I love supporting these programs that give back to the hungry. Thanks for sharing about this worthy cause.