Empty Bowl Project

When my kids were little, I remember more the problem of finding calm time to give them a good breakfast before the mad rush out the door (homework, gloves and boots in hand) than a difficulty in finding something nutritious to give them. That problem was more likely I hadn’t made it to the grocery store, not that I couldn’t. Though I certainly have had my share of empty bank accounts and mismatched left over specials.

Working and living in affluent Montgomery and Howard counties, I am fortunate to love my job that helps make ends meet. I have rarely, truly, come face to face with hunger. Similarly, many of our children, like the majority in these counties, have not faced or experienced food insecurity. My students are all loved, carefully cared for, and for the most part, the beneficiaries of an affluent segment of society. They might not get breakfast, or they might only have time to eat it on the drive to school, or they might not like their Starbucks breakfast selection, but for the most part, if they come into the classroom breakfast-less, it was not because their pantry was empty along with the bank account, but that they chose not to partake. However, just across the street, around the corner, or hidden under the unprovoked outburst on the playground; hunger is right here. 7.3% in Howard County, 6.3% in Montgomery County, generally assumed to be affluent communities, and 14.4% in Prince George’s County are food insecure. That means that they do not know from where or if their next meal will come at all. Their families have to choose between rent, food, or gas to get to work; scant nutritious meals or insufficient poorer quality meals. Most of these families have two working parents, and are still not making ends meet. 13% of all Americans are food insecure, 13 million of them are children, and 50% of all school children in the United States are food insecure!!!

The future is indeed bleak if our hopes for the future, our children, cannot learn, question, solve, or grow to their full potential. This impacts not just us but our well-fed children as well. Medical and technological innovations and advances may suffer if the potential of the brilliant minds of the future languishes without the availability and nutrition of regular meals.

Many school districts provide breakfast for all their students during class time, so kids are not stigmatized and pulled out of class. Backpacks, similar to those that carry markers and books, are filled with food for weekends for those in need. Many schools have on-site pantries, while others open their cafeterias over the summer and holiday breaks for families to come have meals. There are food banks and food pantries all over the country, 60,000 + of them, and neighborhoods and churches try to fill in the blanks. The Maryland Food Bank, alone, provides 102,000 meals a day! Empty Bowl is just one of many other ways people are coming together to help alleviate the hunger crisis. But all of these measures are just a drop in the bucket. We need to continue to fight, to try, to help, to solve this crisis, all while teaching the next generation to be generous with their time and hearts.

The EB Committee and TORCH has worked to re-evaluate and find a worthy charity to direct whatever funds garnered during our dinner. Upon their research, Feeding America (FA) was again chosen for this year. The Maryland Food Bank, Manna and SOME are all affiliates of FA, but because of their huge size and donation base, FA is a very effective organization, able to do more for less. Feeding American was chosen for its excellent rating, track record and service to administrative cost ratio. All statistics were garnered from Charity Navigator, American Hunger Statistics, Feeding America, and the Maryland Food Bank.