I had known her for years. She exuded positive energy with a dose of trepidation. She smiled easily, though not often, if that makes any sense. Her clothes were worn but not ill fitting or inappropriate for the seasons. I just figured she refused to wear a coat like my sons do. Her hair was always pulled back neatly in braids or a puffy pony tail, and she never really cared one way or the other. This was a girl more interested in showing her badass self to the boys who think girls are wusses on a field than being a frilly girl who sat on the sidelines. She was tough yet gentle. I never knew if I was on her good side day to day.
I had worked with her for a while, mostly on writing. She had a gift, really, an eye for detail.
One day when we were working together a couple years ago, she looked up at me and stared intently. She twirled her chewed up pencil and stared at me a while, then glanced at her shoes, as if mustering up courage or deciding if she should go on.
“Mrs. Ewen, Bird brings his lunch to school everyday, right?”
“Um, yes.” I replied. I was taken aback by the non sequitor, considering we were working on writing a piece about weather patterns.
“And Deal brings his lunch too?” She asked.
“Yes, yes he does.” I replied quizzically.
She cocked her head to the side and put down the pencil. She sighed. She looked down, shoulders drooped.
“Hey, what’s the matter?” I asked as I gently put my finger to her chin.
This was a breakthrough moment, the kind of moment that fuels teachers and made this humble classroom volunteer quiver.
Her glisteny brown eyes stared at me, somewhat empty. She sighed again and asked me ever so earnestly. “But where do you get the food for their lunch, Mrs. Ewen?”
“Why, from home. From our kitchen. I pack them lunch.” I told her.
Her eyes widened. “You mean you keep food in your house? You have that much food?!” She asked in awe.
The weight of her questioning almost paralyzed me. I grappled with answering frankly or changing the subject. My heart was cracking as much as my voice.
“Yes, honey, we have food. Is there something you want to tell me or talk about?” I put down my pencil and told her we were done writing for the day if she wanted to talk, unless she wanted to carry on.
“I don’t ever have food in my house,” she told me. “I’ve never brought lunch. I just get it at school. Sometimes my neighbor lets me come in to eat on weekends.”
I was speechless.
She picked up her pencil and started writing about cumulus clouds.
Hers is but one voice of many hungry children in Wake County and all over this rich land of ours. This is why we started Backpack Buddies at my sons’ school. We serve several children and have a waiting list just as long. Everyday I see hungry faces go home to bare cupboards. You can donate to this marvelous program through the InterFaith Food Shuttle. And let’s not forget the grande dame of alleviating hunger, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Your donations help so many families in crisis, and the people who work there have golden hearts. As you pack your kids’ lunch and gripe about it like I do, consider the children and families who aren’t so lucky.
Please join me in filling the cup of those who go without. The United Nations World Food Programme is filling bellies around the globe. Fill the Cup.