Last month the Food Bank For New York City came to talk to us at school. We were all really surprised when they told us that almost half the people in the city need help getting enough food. And that 1 in 5 kids get their meals from soup kitchens and food pantries! The good news is they have a bunch of cool programs to help—soup kitchens, food pantries, sending backpacks of food home with kids, taking food to the elderly, helping runaways—they do a lot.
We decided we wanted to help too, so we started a food drive at school, and all of the classrooms competed to see who could collect the most cans. Our Green Squad even donated right from our school garden: lettuces, cabbage, spinach, beets and peas. It made me really happy to think of people eating homegrown food that we had raised just for them. I can’t wait to tell Granny Mo!
When we took our stuff to the food bank, we got to check out everything they’re doing. I expected it to be all boxes of canned goods, but there were fresh veggies like ours, eggs and bread, clothes for people who needed them, even dog and cat food! I never thought about hungry pets before, and the idea of helping animals as well as people really appealed to my friends Kerka and Zally.
Now that I’m really looking, I can see fairy godmothers at work all around me. I love feeling like a part of something so much bigger than myself, and knowing there are so many people out there helping behind the scenes. Out of all the stuff we’ve done in Green Squad so far, I have to say this has been my favorite: good food for people right here in our own city…our neighbors.
You can get your Local Lineage involved, too! Start a food drive at your school, or check out FeedingAmerica.org to find a food pantry near you. And then tell me all about it!!
xo
BirdieBright