We know that teachers are an integral part of the No Kid Hungry story. Teachers see hunger first-hand in their classrooms and are often the ones reaching into their own pockets to help ensure children get the food they need. Most teachers spend $300 of their own money each year just on food for hungry students.
Don’t just take our word for it. Audrey Harris is an elementary school teacher who sees hunger on a regular basis in her classroom.
She said the hardest part of being a teacher is watching her students fail knowing they didn’t have the food they needed to succeed.
"We all set aside money for food for the kids,” Audrey said. “On Monday morning they are hungry. Many of them haven’t eaten a real meal since lunch on Friday. Monday morning you just come with extra."
"It’s heartbreaking when I can’t do my job because my students are hungry." - Audrey Harris
Audrey isn’t alone.
Three out of 4 public school teachers say students regularly come to school hungry. Of those educators who see hunger regularly, 81% say it happens at least once a week.
Because they are some of the first responders to hunger, teachers have also been a powerful force in implementing breakfast in the classroom programs.
We believe everyone has a strength to share when it comes to ending childhood hunger, and this National Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re especially proud to be celebrating the teachers who get us closer to No Kid Hungry each day.
So much of our success in getting 2.9 million more kids to start their day with a healthy breakfast is because of their hard work. So this week we say THANK YOU to teachers everywhere.
