This Wednesday, I was blessed to be able to go to Nashville, Tennessee (my first time there) to participate in a Child Hunger Ends Here event with country music superstars Little Big Town. Even know I am not the biggest country music fan, I really do adore this band. Not only do they have a very unique sound, they are amazing people to meet in person.
We started the day at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. We were able to meet the staff, get insight into their day-to-day operations, as well as enjoy a delicious home-cooked Thanksgiving meal with the staff and volunteers. (It was an amazing meal; I ate every bit of it.) Afterwards, we prepared for the arrival of our special guests: Little Big Town.
When they arrived, the media frenzy began. Live television reporters were there, as well as radio journalists and bloggers. I was there with ExtraordinaryMommy.com's Danielle Smith. We were able to ask questions of the band, regarding their involvement with ConAgra Foods' Child Hunger Ends Here program. (Since this was not my first time participating in a campaign for them, I was slightly prepared for what was to happen. I was not prepared to have so much fun, however.)
After the interviews, we joined several local children in putting together weekend food packs for children who were food insecure. For those of you who don't know, food insecurity is a fancy way of saying they won't know when they get to eat again (and 1 in 5 are considered "food insecure" in the U.S.). Many kids know, for example,that they will get a meal at school during the noon hour, but many kids aren't certain to have supper when they get home. The weekends bring about even more uncertainty; with parents working, budgets tight, and food scarce, many kids may eat little to nothing over the weekend. These food bags provided kids with some healthy snacks, such as fruit, milk, juice, cereal, and easy-to-prepare pasta dishes.
It was hard work, but an amazing time. I helped bring new boxes of food to the tables, so that the band and the volunteers could fill up the bags! We then participated in the live Facebook chat with ConAgra Foods and the band. The questions from fans were very interesting -- but not quite as interesting as the band's answers!
The band was pretty vocal about how volunteering is one of the ways you can get involved in fighting child hunger. It doesn't cost you a dime to do so, either.
Can you think of other ways you can help?
*I am a compensated blogger correspondent for ConAgra's Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Opinions and experiences shared here are my own.
We started the day at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. We were able to meet the staff, get insight into their day-to-day operations, as well as enjoy a delicious home-cooked Thanksgiving meal with the staff and volunteers. (It was an amazing meal; I ate every bit of it.) Afterwards, we prepared for the arrival of our special guests: Little Big Town.
When they arrived, the media frenzy began. Live television reporters were there, as well as radio journalists and bloggers. I was there with ExtraordinaryMommy.com's Danielle Smith. We were able to ask questions of the band, regarding their involvement with ConAgra Foods' Child Hunger Ends Here program. (Since this was not my first time participating in a campaign for them, I was slightly prepared for what was to happen. I was not prepared to have so much fun, however.)
After the interviews, we joined several local children in putting together weekend food packs for children who were food insecure. For those of you who don't know, food insecurity is a fancy way of saying they won't know when they get to eat again (and 1 in 5 are considered "food insecure" in the U.S.). Many kids know, for example,that they will get a meal at school during the noon hour, but many kids aren't certain to have supper when they get home. The weekends bring about even more uncertainty; with parents working, budgets tight, and food scarce, many kids may eat little to nothing over the weekend. These food bags provided kids with some healthy snacks, such as fruit, milk, juice, cereal, and easy-to-prepare pasta dishes.
The band was pretty vocal about how volunteering is one of the ways you can get involved in fighting child hunger. It doesn't cost you a dime to do so, either.
Can you think of other ways you can help?
- Maybe it's by holding a food drive for businesses to donate to.
- Perhaps you can use coupons to get "buy one, get one" offers, then donate the "get one" to your food bank.
- You can volunteer to spread the word about your local food bank's needs by sharing on your social media sites.
*I am a compensated blogger correspondent for ConAgra's Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Opinions and experiences shared here are my own.
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