HEALTH

 

Your mom packed you a soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich again (sigh). But before you send her an annoyed text or whine to your friends about how much you wish you had pizza instead, consider this statistic: 1 in 6 kids in the United States go hungry. Yikes—talk about putting things in perspective. Suddenly that PB&J doesn't seem so bad...

And because hunger is clearly a *very* real prob in schools, actress Skai Jackson is partnering with No Kid Hungry to raise awareness for the issue. Afer visiting a school in support, the 15-year-old revealed, "Getting to talk to the kids in person was so cool...and also eye-opening. I can't imagine not having food to eat and no kid deserves that, which is why I'm so passionate about the cause."

It's important to remember that hunger is something that affects almost every community in the United States, according to a recent Hunger in Our Schools report. Which means the girl who sits next to you in homeroom or your chem lab partner might be one of the students going without food for another day. Plus, being hungry in class is about more than just a growling stomach—92 percent of teachers say that hunger affects how a student performs in school and on tests. 

So what can you do to help? Skai recommends sharing stats and raising awareness on social media ("Most people don't even realize it's so big of a problem!"). You can also chat with a school counselor or administrator to see what kind of opps are offered at your school. Many now have free or reduced lunches or similar initiatives, and, if yours does not, you might be able to stand up and affect change. That's the kind of thing worth fighting for, in our opinion. 

What do you think about getting rid of hunger in schools? Share your thoughts below! 

Photo credit: Instagram.

by Amanda Tarlton | 9/24/2017