Our Kids Are Resilient

We were fortunate to be able to talk with some 3rd grade students in the Eau Claire area. When we got to the school, the bell had just rung letting the students out for the day so the kids were a bit squirrely, ready to run and play and talk with their friends.

We talked about school, the possibility of snow in September and what they wanted to be when they grew up. Everyone had an idea they wanted to share. Then one little girl sitting next to me tapped me on the arm and said "I used to be homeless." She didn't appear sad or angry; this was just a fact. She used to be homeless and she wanted to tell me her story.

"We didn't have electricity. The police came and told us we had to leave our house. We had to move into a shelter far away from my school and my friends. The shelter had lots of rules but it was warm and they had electricity. Now I live in a house with my mom. It's crowded and it smells, but it's better than the shelter. We don't have a car, so I can't go back to my old school. I miss my friends."

I don't know Anna's whole story. I don't know why she became homeless or what lies ahead for her. What I do know is that what this spunky 3rd grader wants are things that most of us take for granted - a house with electricity near her friends, food in the fridge when she gets home and maybe a car for her mom someday. Oh and she hopes to either be an astronaut or a taste tester in a chocolate factory one day.

Kids are resilient. They bounce back from tough situations because they want to play, to laugh and to learn. But when do they lose that reliency? When do they quit believing that things will get better? We need to reach them TODAY before that hope evaporates.

Your support provides food to almost 25,000 children, like Anna, across Feed My People's service area who are not always sure when their next meal will be. Thank you for doing what you can to make their futures brighter and their dreams a possibility.