A Teacher’s Perspective on Hunger

A Milwaukee Public School teacher of 28 years has seen hunger impact her students time and time again. “Obviously, if kids come to school on an empty stomach, they are much less likely to pay attention and learn.” However, she is starting to see fewer hungry students in her classroom because of the number of pantries and food programs that are becoming available to families. This is why federally-funded school meal programs are so important. “The federal food grant is a blessing for these kids!” she explained. “Especially on Mondays, I see more kids taking breakfast than during the week.”

Additionally, accessing the pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) provides families with financial support to cover the cost of groceries while school is closed, while a child is attending an eligible virtual learning program, or if a student is absent for COVID-19 reasons.

This dedicated teacher also explained why she puts leftover fruit from the meal program into one of her student’s backpacks. This student will have something healthy to eat at home, and no other student has to know about it. She doesn’t want any child to come to school or go home hungry. “Hunger impacts every aspect of our lives. So many people don’t realize that” she said. This is why she continually gives back to the community when she has time away from her busy teaching career. “I have always supported local & neighborhood food pantries, and I donate cash during the holidays and volunteer at the Salvation Army’s Christmas mass food distribution downtown.” Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is very appreciative of her donation this year, and we applaud her for her daily commitment to fighting hunger inside the classroom.

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