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I recently went to SXSW as a result of winning a contest from Wal-Mart and the Eleven Moms. My actual sponsor, however, was The Hunger Pledge. Unfortunately, before during the event, I was unable to actually connect with them to thank them.

So much happened during SXSW that I was too drained to do a rundown on each day. So instead, I thought I’d just highlight what the Hunger Pledge is.

The Pledge is a way to give to Share our Strenth. 1 in 6 children in America will wonder when their next meal will come. That’s 12 million + children. In America.

About Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength® is a national organization that works hard to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.

We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn and play.

We work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation®, Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale®, Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit®, Share Our Strength’s Great American Dine Out™, and Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline®. Discover how you can get involved »
Why We Do It

We have all experienced hunger at one time or another: We’ve all craved a midnight snack, wanted something salty or needed some chocolate. But there’s a big difference between trying to satisfy a brief craving or stomach growl and wondering when or from where your next meal will come.

More than 12.4 million—one in six—children in America are at risk of hunger. These children will endure lifelong consequences as a result of having limited access to nutritious foods. In fact, they’re more likely to suffer poorer health, fatigue, hospitalizations, behavioral difficulties and impaired performance at school.

And hunger doesn’t discriminate. It can affect any child—even those you’d least expect.

Despite the good efforts of governments, private-sector institutions and everyday Americans, millions of our children still don’t have daily access to the nutritious meals they need to live active, healthy lives.

Through the strength of dedicated, committed volunteers to support our fundraising efforts and community organizations that put our resources to good use, Share Our Strength finds childhood hunger where it hides and works hard to end it.

• We raise funds through our pioneering culinary events (Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, Great American Dine Out, A Tasteful Pursuit and Great American Bake Sale) and award grants to support successful organizations across the country that work to provide children and their families with the healthy food they need. Since our inception in 1984, we have raised over $245 million and provided support to more than 1,000 of the most effective hunger-relief organizations around the globe. Get involved with a Share Our Strength event.
• We partner with leading corporations through strategic marketing programs that engage their customers, employees and partners around the issue of ending childhood hunger in America. Learn more about our innovative corporate partnerships.
• We award grants to organizations throughout the country whose efforts and successes align with the 10 points of our national plan to end childhood hunger. Learn more about our Grants at Work.
• We convene partnerships with effective, influential nonprofits that develop their own plans modeled after Share Our Strength’s national plan to end childhood hunger. Learn more about our state partnerships.
• We provide education programming through Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline, our awarding winning nutrition education program that teaches families how to prepare healthy, low-cost meals. Learn more about Operation Frontline.

All of this work supports our strategy to end childhood hunger in America.

The Pledge itself is a way to rally the nation to ending hunger. You can pledge to give money, volunteer, or share. Pledge today! Some resources for you to help:

• Hunger Pledge at Twitter
• Share our Strength Website
• Hunger Pledge Website

It’s important to give of yourself.  It’s important for a family to give together.  But what do you do when it seems like you have nothing left to give?

We do not have a lot of money.  Actually, this week I’m scrambling for grocery money.  Need vs. want is a constant question at our house.  But that’s ok.  I’m trying to lift my business off the ground to try and alleviate some of the pressure, and we have peace about what brought us here.  Leaving work and coming home was the best thing I could have done for my mental state, and for our family.  But I still want to give charitably.  We have a roof, and food, and cars, and jobs, and medical insurance.  Sure, it’s old, leaky, second hand, store brand, paid through the nose for – but it’s a LOT more than a log of people have.  Frankly, we’re blessed.  So, we scrape together a few bucks a month and sponsor a child through Compassion International.  I chose this organization on purpose for a few reasons.  I first became aware of them through Shannon’s blog, Rocks in my Dryer.  She went to Africa to see Compassion in action.  They are Christian, which is important to me and my faith.  And when you are sponsoring a child – you really are sponsoring that child.  In other words, if you don’t give, they get put back on the list.  You see, i had seen other organizations where you “sponsor a child” but really, your money is put in a pool to help.  I didn’t want that.  I wanted the face sent to me to be the actual face of the child I’m helping.  I need that accountability.  I want to see the changes happen.  Elizabeth is our child.  She’s in school now.  Because we – through Compassion – put her there.  That’s an amazing thought to me.  From the research I did, and first person (Shannon and other bloggers) experience, it seemed to me to be a reputable, faith-based, truly helpful organization.

As an aside – I whole-heartedly reccommend CityTeam Ministries.  While I cannot give to both organizations right now, I can tell you first hand that they are reputable, accountable, honest, and hardworking.  I used to work in the administrative offices in the HR department, so I got to see the good, bad, and ugly.  When asked by family and friends, I always recommend them.

Some people tell me I should volunteer.  While I sometimes volunteer for my kids’ school – I don’t charitably volunteer.  I’m at a season in my life where I have to take care of my children, and all that goes with their needs (they’re both special needs kids.)  In addition to that, we live next door to my elderly sick parents, and help them.  So for now – that’s all the caretaking I can muster.  And really?  That’s enough.  I only want to volunteer if I feel pressed to on my heart, and that’s not a place I’m at right now.

But give of yourself, somehow.  Unless you’re currently the recipient, there’s something.  Anything helps.  If you’re strapped for cash to give – perhaps you can save spare change in a jar.  Those pennies add up.  If you’re at a place in your life where you can give of yourself and feel called – do it.  It’s important to remember that as bad as it gets…  Someone is probably worse off.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company.

From January 12 through February 28, for every UPC from a Quaker Oatmeal hot cereal product families enter at www.startwithsubstance.com, Quaker will donate one bowl of oatmeal to Share Our Strength, a childhood hunger organization. You’ll need to be a Facebook member to participate.