Q: Our cupboards are empty most of the time and I get
hungry a lot. Is everyone hungry like I am?
A: No not everyone is
hungry but there are an awful lot of children and adults who don’t have enough
to eat every day. Many people go to bed hungry, wake up hungry, go to school
hungry and not have a lunch to bring with them. It is especially hard when
you’re not able to have a breakfast yet still have to stay alert and focused
when you get to school. Sometimes you feel grouchy and tired and you know it’s
because you’re hungry but you are afraid to tell anyone because you’re embarrassed
to tell your friends that you are poor.
Did you know
that there are over 1 million kids in Canada who live in poverty and are always
hungry? Hunger is that undeniable basic need and desire for
food which usually comes with a physical aching and weakness because by the lack
of food and nutrition. Hunger doesn’t care about your nationality, age, race, gender
or anything else. Everyone needs food to survive and if we don’t eat enough we
get hungry.
There are many reasons for hunger
in Canada. People on assistance programs often don’t receive enough money to
pay for all their needs. Sometimes, even though our parents may work every day,
they still don’t have enough money to pay for the rent, food, clothes, heat
etc. Older people, who sometimes take care of us and don’t work anymore, can’t
afford all the things that the children they look after need. Sometimes our dad’s are gone and we live with
our mother, brothers and sisters and it can be really hard for mothers to find
jobs and still look after the children when there is no one else to help. Sometimes the food that parents are able to buy isn’t very
nutritious and we are still hungry after eating. Sometimes the water and the
food we eat are bad and not good for us so, we don’t eat as much or it makes us
sick.
There are
hungry people all over the world and it should not be that way. There are far
too many children who are hungry in Canada today.
So what can you do?
Being hungry is no fun and it is not
easy to get food when there is no money and your stomach is growling. There are
no easy answers I can give you, but here are a few things that may be helpful
and you could consider:
- Start a garden in your yard or perhaps a community garden that every one helps to build and shares in the food that is produced. A lot of good nutritious food can be grown in a garden and it fun too.
- You could also plant fruit trees and berry bushes. A few seeds are usually easy to get from the fruit itself
- Soup kitchens such as the ones the Salvation Army set up are places where food is available when there is an empty cupboard in your house.
- Also there are food share and food bank organizations who have food available to those who need it
- Breakfast and lunch clubs at school are growing everywhere. If your school does not have one perhaps you can be the one who makes it happen in your school. Ask teachers and other students if they would be interested in helping you get one started in your school. I bet you’d be surprised how many people would help and, like you, how many other people would be glad to get breakfast every morning.
- There are also school and community organizations that provide snacks and drinks during the fun activities that they do and you get to meet new friends too.
- If your able, a part time job like a paper route allows for a few dollars to buy something when your stomach growls.
- Sometimes in volunteer work, lunches and snacks are provided. You can help others and get a good lunch at the same time.
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