“Mom, what’s for dinner?”

A phrase that most of us grew up saying every night as we finished up our homework or arrived home from soccer practice. My mom would usually respond with something delicious, resulting in my sisters and me anxiously awaiting our next hot meal.

But imagine if your mom replied, “Nothing, honey. I can’t afford food for us tonight, maybe even the rest of the week.”

In the household I grew up in, this was not a normal occurrence. In fact, this never happened.

But for over 46 million Americans, this is a constant struggle. Parents, elders and children face food insecurity each and every day.

According to the USDA, food insecurity means lack of access to enough nutritional food for an active, healthy life for all household members

The even more gut wrenching fact from this – over 15 million of the food insecure in our nation are children. This means one in five children are unaware of when they will have their next meal. Each meal is crucial to their development, education and, ultimately, survival.

Children who struggle with hunger are more likely to have developmental impairments, behavior problems and struggle in school. Luckily, organizations like Feeding America have created food banks all over the country to feed our nation’s children and families.

By donating $1 to Feeding America, 11 meals are provided for food insecure people all over the country. Along with donations, there are also endless opportunities to volunteer.

• BackPack Program: For many children, school is the only consistent place they are promised to eat. Each week, volunteers all over the country to fill backpacks with food. Thanks to these efforts, over 450,000 children are able to eat each weekend.
• Summer Feeding Program: Most kids can’t wait for the heat, but others are at an even higher risk of missing a meal through summer months due to school being out. Feeding America provides several summer food service programs in order to close the gap on hunger through summer break.
• Senior Grocery Program: Many senior citizens live off of fixed incomes. As prices rise, the struggle to pay for health, shelter and food at the same time becomes significantly harder. This program focuses on providing food for the elderly that they can prepare and eat in the comfort of their own home.
• Disaster Relief: In the last five years, Feeding America has provided more than 100 million pounds of food to families hit with natural disasters all over the country. From earthquakes to hurricanes, volunteers make it possible to help families in desperate need.

Hunger is everywhere. It’s in your nation, your state and even your county.

Whether you are volunteering, donating or spreading awareness, you can make a difference. It’s time to make America full again.