The Kids
Ronaldo, an eight-year-old student, has the perfect name for an aspiring soccer player, but he doesn’t like soccer. Instead, he loves cooking and wants to be a baker and a chef when he grows up.
Fifth graders Yelaine and Giselle, seem to always be smiling. Yelaine lives with her parents, her grandparents, siblings, 11 birds and a cat. She loves animals, and when she grows up, she wants to be a veterinarian. Giselle is Yelaine's cousin and best friend. She loves playing with Legos and wants to be an architect when she grows up.
Paisley loves helping people. When she grows up, she wants to be a police officer just like her dad.
Every morning, hundreds of kids line up at Gove Elementary in Palm Beach County, Florida to pick up breakfast in the classroom. You see the sleepy kids, the early birds who are already full of energy, the ones who love sports, the ones who love video games. They all are wonderful, unique and have big dreams for the future.
Gove Elementary is one of thousands of No Kid Hungry’s partners who understand that food is the most important school supply and, with your support, are helping to ensure kids get the meals they need to thrive. No Kid Hungry provides essential equipment and technical assistance to support meal programs at the Palm Beach County school district.
“It's Easy, It's Simple”
We asked almost a dozen third grade students what their favorite subject was, and the answer was the same across the board. They all unequivocally loved math.
While numbers, addition and subtraction can be very exciting, the real reason is their math teacher, Sirica Brown. She is the kind of teacher that makes school fun. She is firm but loving and makes each student feel special. Her 17 years of experience, bubbly personality and loving banter with each kid make her classroom a special place.
Ms. Brown has built strong relationships with the families of her students. She understands these are hardworking families, many of them are agricultural workers in the sugar cane fields that surround the school. The long hours in the field are a sacrifice that parents endure to make ends meet
Maribel Ortega, a parent of two kids at the school, spoke about the challenges of increasing prices. “It's very difficult. When I arrived in this country about eight years ago, we would go to the store and fill the cart with basic groceries and some treats. Now it's very different. We go to the store, and sometimes the kids want their candies or a little toy, and we have to hold back because the money isn't enough. We have to be very careful about what we buy.”
Even with these sacrifices, sometimes it’s not enough. Across the country, 1 in 5 kids continues to live with hunger. At No Kid Hungry, we understand that this is a problem we know how to solve – and it is worth solving. It is simple. When we support kids, we support our collective future.
We asked Ms. Brown what she would say to people who are hesitant to get behind these programs, and she seemed confused as to why anybody would doubt them.
“I just don’t see why people are not [supporting these programs],” she shared. “It’s easy; It’s simple… I love my kids and that’s why I come to work every day.”
The Most Important School Supply
Ms. Brown said it. “[Breakfast is] very important because that could be that meal to start the day to get them to focus more… And if that child is given the opportunity to help start their day, you could impact that whole kid's day.”
The kids said it too.
“It's just important for students to eat or else they will just not have the energy to participate or to do something,” explained Yelaine. “They're just hungry, so they can't pay attention. And if they don't learn or pay attention, then they're not going to be successful in life.”
“Food is the most important school supply because if nobody ate the food, then they would all get sick and stop coming to school,” Ronaldo said.
And in the simplest of terms, Paisley explained, “[When I eat breakfast,] I feel good.”
It’s simple and it’s easy. Food is the most important school supply, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or supper. Kids need energy to focus in school, to have fun and to become chefs, police officers and veterinarians of the future.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Ways You Can Help:
Donate: 1 dollar can help provide 10 meals* for kids. Your support will help us fund meal programs all over the country and help us advocate for policies that will help kids get the meals they need. *Donations help support programs that feed kids; No Kid Hungry does not provide individual meals. Learn more at NoKidHungry.org/OneDollar
Speak up for kids: 1 in 5 kids in the United States is affected by hunger. Tell your lawmaker to protect SNAP and other federal nutrition programs that feed kids.
