“Mama, wake up!” three year-old Cindy cried as she shook her
mother’s shoulder. She was asleep on the couch again. “I’m hungry.”
“What?” her mother mumbled. “There isn’t anything to eat. Go
play in your room. Mama’s tired.”
Cindy wiped a tear away and went into the kitchen again and
searched the empty refrigerator. She pulled a chair up to the counter and
pulled open a cabinet door. The cereal box was empty. She pulled a box of what
she thought might be mac and cheese going by the picture off the shelf but
thought she shouldn't try to cook that. The last time she had almost started a
fire and her mother yelled at her. There was nothing else; even the peanut
butter jar was empty. She left it on the counter and opened another cabinet.
She pulled out a plastic bowl and grabbed a spoon out of the dish rack and
climbed down.
“Mama, are you getting up today?” Cindy asked her mother,
trying to wake her once more. Her mother just rolled over and snored.
Cindy sighed and walked to the door. She set her bowl and
spoon down on the floor so she could use both hands to open the door, retrieved
the items and went outside and next door to her neighbors’ house.
Cindy knocked on the back door. When Mrs. Donnelly opened it
she smiled sadly down at Cindy. “Mom asleep again, honey?” Cindy just nodded
and held up her bowl. “Come on in,” she said, taking Cindy’s small hand and
leading her inside.
“Thank you,” Cindy said in a voice slightly louder than a
whisper.
Mrs. Donnelly set a plate of eggs and toast and glass of
milk in front of Cindy. “When was the last time you ate?”
“I had a peanut butter sandwich yesterday sometime,” Cindy
said matter-of-factly.
Mrs. Donnelly patted the child on the head. “Alice!” she
called to her eldest daughter as she peeled a banana and placed it on the place
next to the eggs. “Eat this too if you can hold it.”
“Wow! So much at once,” Cindy said in amazement, although
she was used to Mrs. Donnelly feeding her at least three times a week.
“What is it Mom?” her daughter asked walking in to the
kitchen.
“I need you stay with Cindy while I go over and talk to her
mom,” she said. As her daughter nodded and sat down with Cindy, she walked out the
door.
Mrs. Donnelly didn’t even bother to knock, she just went on
in. She looked around and was surprised at how clean the small house actually
was. She thought there would be trash and alcohol empties strewn all over, but
she had to admit that Cindy was always clean when she came over. She found
Cindy’s mother on the couch asleep and shook her hard to wake her up.
“What?” Tara, Cindy’s mother said drowsily. She sat up. “Cindy,
stop waking me up,” she said before she realized it wasn’t Cindy standing in
front of her. “Sandra? What’s up?”
“You!” She said angrily. “I don’t mind feeding a starving
child; in fact, I’d rather Cindy come over to my house to eat than stay hungry,
but you have got to get some food for that child or Social Services will be
notified.”
Tara threw the blanket off she had pulled over herself when
she crashed on the couch. She was rail thin herself and her eyes were gaunt.
She stood up. “I will go get her. I didn’t know she was going over to your
house to eat.”
“There’s no need. I told you, I don’t mind feeding her, but
a few mornings a week is barely enough to keep her alive. It looks like you
haven’t been eating much either,” she added, more calmly, now more concerned
than angry. She sat down on the couch and pulled Tara with her.
“Tell me what’s going on Tara. Why is there is nothing to
eat?” she asked.
Her face reddened and it spread down her neck and to her
pale, rough hands. “I barely make enough to pay rent on this place and believe
me, I’ve tried to find something less expensive. Short of drug-filled housing project,
there isn’t anything. I clean office buildings at night and they cut my hours,
so there isn't enough for a lot of food, okay! I’m lucky we have lights on
still and water. That’s why they are usually off.”
“Tara, have you gone to the food pantries?” Sandra Donnelly
asked her.
“Yes, I did, but they can’t give out a whole lot either.
They don’t have enough to go around and it’s just the two of us. Her father
hasn’t paid a cent in child support.” She pointed in a corner where an old
television sat. “That thing isn’t plugged in so it doesn’t run up the electric
bill and that’s the only entertainment we have. This place is so clean because
the pantry has plenty of cleaning supplies, laundry soap and even bath soap. I wash her clothes in
the bathtub. Maybe you’ve noticed the clothes draped over the clothesline out
back.
“Yes, but I just figured you like air-dried laundry. A lot
of people do.” Sandra stared out the window. “Tara, where’s your car?”
“I sold it,” she said. “I couldn’t afford gas or upkeep,
much less insurance. I take the bus or walk to work.”
“Tara, get dressed. I’m taking you to Social Services. You
need to sign up for some assistance. Don’t let pride stop you either. You need
help before they take notice from someone other myself calling them and then
they take Cindy. They’ll help you pay for childcare too, although you could
have just asked if we would watch her.”
Tara looked up her a moment then slowly nodded agreement.
***
Many people think that hungry children only belong to the
addicted or mentally ill who are unable to care for themselves, but the truth
is that employed Americans are also unable to feed their families. Many
children only receive nutritious food at school and when school is out, they
either do not get adequately nutritious food or little to no food for long
stretches of time.
According to the website www.nokidhungry.org
48.8 million Americans, including 16.2 million children are in what is termed ‘food
insecure’ households; the largest number being in the inner city, but by no
means only there. Rural areas and suburban areas – outlying areas- also suffer
from hunger.
You can help by donating to food pantries, buying products
labeled as donating proceeds of the purchase to food banks (and actually
following the instructions on the package), participating in food drives such
as by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, United States Postal Service, Salvation
Army, churches, Future Farmers of America and holiday food drives at
participating grocery stores. There are also many organizations that supply
food banks around the country.
In a country as great as ours its citizens, and especially
its children should not have to go hungry.
Some organizations:
www.fmpfoodbank.org
(West Central Wisconsin, where I live)
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