In this article
Every person in America should have access to healthy food. Unfortunately, nearly 11% of the population was food insecure in 2018 — that's one in nine Americans. In a child, food insecurity may result in being embarrassed to tell adults he doesn’t have food at home. But if you become aware of a food-insecure child in your school, there are things you can do to help in a way that builds self-esteem and greater values in children.
What 'food insecure' means
According to the Oxford dictionary, "food insecure" is when a person is “lacking reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.” While schools are great about providing free or subsidized breakfasts and lunches to all students whose parents enroll in the program, there may be students whose parents feel ashamed to ask for help or don’t know about the programs.
For those on the school lunch programs, school lunches might be the only time they are able to get a well-balanced and complete meal. Finding a way to help them outside of school is a tough endeavor for teachers, parents, and administrators.
Ways to identify hungry kids
If you are concerned about kids at your child’s school, there are some ways to help identify if a child is hungry at home. Keep in mind that this is a touchy subject — coming out and asking directly may lead to a child feeling ashamed.
1. Observe physical appearance
Bodyweight isn’t the best indicator for food insecurity. In fact, the condition is often linked to childhood obesity. But there are signs you can look for that suggest nutrient deficiencies, such as swollen skin, chronically dry and itchy eyes, and cracked lips.
2. Observe school meal behaviors
Kids who are food insecure will often come to school early to get breakfast and race to the front of the lunch line. They devour their food quickly, as if afraid they will run out of time to finish and often ask for seconds. Some kids will frequently talk about how hungry they are, leading up to lunch.
3. Ask benign questions at first
Directly asking a child if they have enough food at home is generally not the best approach. It can have negative emotional and psychological effects on the child. Instead, ask them about the food they are eating at school.
Some good questions to get the conversation started include:
- You seem to like those carrots. What’s the favorite way your mom cooks vegetables for you?
- What did you have for breakfast (or dinner)?
- Do you eat this much at home?
Once you have gotten the conversation started and established a sense of trust with the child, you can expand your questions to asking if they have enough food at home or are concerned about food running out.
Ways to help food-insecure kids
Wanting to help is one thing but finding the right way to do so can be slightly tricky. Remember that you don’t want to make a food-insecure child feel ashamed. The goal is to help kids and families get food and empower change among your community.
1. Get the word out
Make it a point to send extra flyers home or ask administrators to make an announcement or have an assembly to inform parents of the opportunity for free lunches through the National School Lunch Program signed into law by Harry Truman in 1946. The School Breakfast Program is similar, making healthy breakfasts available to eligible students. These programs exist across the nation — we just need to make sure parents and kids know about them.
2. Think outside of the box
“Helping people is best done by changing the system, instead of solving one person’s problems,” Lynee Port of Southern California told Mom.com. She adds, “I might set up a school-wide initiative encouraging the children to submit ideas for solutions and recognitions for the most helpful solution, the kindest solution, and the solution that can be put into effect.”
3. Establish a food drive
Run a canned food drive at school. You can even ask parents to donate gift cards to local grocery stores, so that families can purchase non-canned goods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, bread, and proteins. Create a way for kids or parents to opt into the program in a confidential, way through an office-supervised dropbox or through teacher referrals.
4. Create a fun family program
Chef Suzi Gerber, a food and dietary literacy expert, shared with Mom.com something she has seen work really well. “I’ve seen and participated in food pantries associated with after-school programs and grade schools offering free whole-family cooking classes, so that parents and families can learn to cook foods available to them as rewarding activities rather than charity or daunting undertakings.”
We can all work together to fight hunger when we all look for solutions.
