Dirt & Noise

 “This post is brought to you by ConAgra Foods and The Motherhood, and I’ve been compensated for my time. However, all opinions are my own.”

We’re on week two of summer vacation. At our house that means our days center around meals more than usual. We are the kind of family that talks about our next meal while we are eating. We also reminisce about past meals and plan vacations based on local food. This is why Barcelona scores more points than Prague on the family’s passport palate.  Bird’s recent impulse purchase at the grocery store was Bon Appetit magazine. He dogeared the recipes he wants to make and eat. So far we had the smoked salmon and fried chicken sandwich with spicy slaw. So far we have enjoyed a summer break of indulgence.

Buttermilk pie.Chocolate croissants.Rhubarb crumble.Mango lemonade popsicles.Ice cream sundaes.Gelato.Pizza with anchovies, lamb meatballs, dandelion greens.Venison carpaccio.

Other than kicking off summer with treats, we are super healthy eaters at Chez Dirt & Noise. We eat more kale than any household in America. Just today Bird requested I pack his lunch for basketball camp because the only lunch options he can buy are Chick Fil A and pizza (for shame, but that’s another story). The boys eat salad every single day, and no meal goes by without fresh fruits and vegetables. The weekly opening of our CSA box is like peeking into Santa’s sack of toys. We are grateful to have access to such delicious food, and Mac Daddy and I are ever so happy to have raised good eaters. Food is such an integral part of our lives; it’s so much more than sustenance.

Perhaps because we have the luxury for it not to be.

I can’t help but think of the children who ration their bites and face the sort of food insecurity I cannot even fathom. I wonder how their summer is going. I worry. I do what I can by donating to my local food bank. I do what I can to ensure our school’s Backpack Buddies program will continue to raise money over the summer so we can feed students on the weekend when the school year begins. I do what I can by engaging my sons and getting their help to deliver backpacks of food while we discuss the issue of hunger in America. I do what I can by this simple act of writing.

I believe in raising foodie kids as well as activist kids. I want my sons to find a cause that lights a fire in their hearts and fight for it. Talking about childhood hunger is something they can easily relate to. We talk about food all the time so this angle is just another layer in the conversation.

• For many children, the thought of one of their peers experiencing hunger can be difficult to comprehend.
• However, the statistics don’t lie – more than 1 in 5 kids faces food insecurity.
• How have you talked to your children about child hunger? What has resonated well? How did they react?

Start talking to you children about childhood hunger. Here’s a great resource and list of ways to help. I guarantee you will uncover compassion and keen interest to help. Watch this video together to jump start the conversation. You’ll help provide a meal to child in need this summer just by watching. Now that’s as easy as it gets.

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