If I Could Change the World

Last night I went to a screening of Hunger Hits Home. It's going to be shown on 4/14 on the Food Network.  Mark that on your calendars folks.  This is a real problem and there are solutions. Okay, I'm off of my soapbox.  Sandra Lee was in town to host the screening and shared her story with us. She told us that her family lived on food stamps and welfare. Here is someone that proves that the system works and it doesn't have to be a cycle. One thing she said really stuck with me.  And that is that she isn't ashamed to let anyone know about her situation.  It was so great to see someone that had a similar background as me and is successful and has not forgotten how she got here.

Back to the film.  It focused on three families around the country (New York, Texas and Virginia) and their struggle to get good, healthy food on the table and to get food at all. It also featured three heroes that are doing something to make a difference.  One of them is Cheryl Jackson from Plano, Texas. She runs Minnie's Food Pantry, a 501 C3 non profit agency. This lady is amazing. She has devoted her life to feeding people that are struggling. And she is just as sweet as can be. Cheryl was at the screening also. I had a chance to meet her and thank her for doing what she does for the community.

Driving home, it got me to thinking.  Thinking about one incident that happened to one of my family members. This person told me that when they were 14 years old and the summer they didn't have anything to eat. I was so completely shocked by this story.  To this day, it breaks my heart and can't imagine how that sweet 14 year old wasn't able to get what they needed.  I still tear up thinking about it.

Believe it or not, you probably know someone that has gone through this or is going through it now.  I am not hear to preach or tell you what you should do but to bring awareness to the fact that there are so many kids that are going without food and/or not getting a healthy meal.  I hope you get a chance to watch this special. It really opened my eyes. It made me so thankful for what I have and realize that I can do something about this. What am I gonna do? Well, I am going to spread the word about this film and look into some volunteering.  Today's soundtrack is hope and change.  Enjoy!

Thanks for reading my blog!
Julie