It's easy to forget about hunger and poverty, but for many kids in the U.S. — 14.5 million, under the age of 18 — it's a very real, and difficult daily concern. Katherine Gibson Howton teaches at a small high school in Oregon and knows that 20% of the students in her school have housing insecurity and a high percentage qualify for free, or reduced lunch. She noticed that many of her students come to class hungry, and often unhappy and irritable because of it. She took to Facebook to spread some awareness and show how she helps her students with a stocked snack cabinet.
“We know that some of our students have no food in the house by the end of the month,” she tells Scary Mommy,. One student had her head on her desk complaining of a headache. When Howton asked what was wrong, the student answered, “I haven’t eaten all day.”
Many people thanked her on social media for her generosity, but nearly all the educators that chimed in admitted to having a similar set-up in their classroom for hungry students. Howton went on to admit that this problem isn't just faced in her school district-it is universal.