Anne Williams - Staff Writer for Joyce Meyer Ministries
Imagine you’re a young person in a classroom at school…who hasn’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch period. A low growl is coming from your stomach. Can the other kids hear it? You’re not sure. You’re just trying to ignore that hungry feeling so you can shift your focus, ignore the pangs, and participate in class and learn.
Such is the daily life of undernourished students in America.
In the same country where many children are struggling with childhood obesity, one out of five students are going to class hungry. And their numbers are increasing.
Today, nearly 10 million kids get free or reduced price lunch during the school week. Another 10.6 million are eligible for these programs, but aren’t enrolled.
For a lot of kids, hunger begins at an early age...
Alexis Gavina is a pre-k teacher in West Texas. There are twenty students in her classroom, and five of them depend on school lunch assistance. “Every one of our twelve classrooms typically have five or six children in need,” she says. “That adds up to a lot of hungry four-year-olds.”
If you’re a seasoned teacher like Gavina, it’s not hard to spot a hungry kid.
“Some of them will try to sneak home snacks that we provide at school,” she says. “When a child is hungry, you will notice that their weight fluctuates and they need to go to the bathroom a lot more often. They’re usually sleepy and it’s hard for them to pay attention.”
Hunger affects school performance in a big way. Not only is a student’s ability to concentrate in class compromised, undernourished kids are more vulnerable to illness—and they are less likely to graduate high school, making it even more difficult to climb their way out of poverty.*
“When Jesus saw a need, He filled it. And He calls us to do the same,” says Gavina. “There are a lot of problems in this world, but we can help solve them if we all pitch in and do our part.” We are honored to be a part of helping feed hungry students in St. Louis, Missouri and are thankful for all who support our ministry to do so.
Discover how you be part of sharing meals with hungry children in the U.S. as well as around the world. This is an opportunity for you to also pour God's love on families who need His love just as much as they do a helping hand.
Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.
