The New Face of Hunger in America

While we all were preparing lavish meals for Thanksgiving and boasting about all of the weight we gained from the food we shoved down our throats, we forget that there are tons of families going without and tons of families that didn't get that Thanksgiving dinner.

Today, Dr. Oz's show was called "The New Face of Hunger in America" and it was about the families in America that struggle to provide for their children and the children that this hunger is affecting. I sat teary eyed throughout the entire show because it literally just breaks my heart. One family was having to get food from the food bank and the mom sat outside the food bank and just cried and cried because she was so embarrassed to have to get her food from the food bank. Honestly, I would have cried too. We're a prideful group of people and it's hard to stand there and admit you are literally flat broke and have no other options.

Here in Statesboro, the elementary schools do "Backpack Buddies" on Fridays. Various places and organizations give nonperishables to the school system so the schools can pack food for the children to eat at home over the weekend. Since many of the children are living in poverty and are struggling to find food, these meals are truly a life saver. Greek life at Georgia Southern give a ton of food every month and every month the meal of choice is something different. One month it may be those little microwavable raviolis or spaghetti o's and another month it may be ramen noodles or peanut butter. Statesboro also has a food bank that helps provide food to numerous families in not just Statesboro, but the surrounding counties as well.

Children can get incredibly sick and develop health issues from not eating. Children are supposed to have three meals and at least two snacks everyday. They have tiny tummys and need to be replenished more often than an adult.

The next time you complain how hungry you are or the next time you drop tons of money on an expensive meal, remember that there are families that are going hungry that night. We need to be more conscious of our actions and remember that there are people going without while we're being greedy and eating half the turkey, instead of just a few pieces. I know that whether we eat half the turkey or two pieces that it isn't going to feed the hungry, but there is no sense in being a glutton.