Fighting Childhood Hunger #AbbottCFK #CBias

Last week I told you about some of the disturbing facts I learned about food insecurities in our children.  What I learned last week angered me.  I was angry with myself because I take for granted the ability to buy food for my kids without concern, angry because I realized how much food our family wastes on a weekly basis and angry because I didn’t feel I was doing enough to help out my community…

How quickly that anger goes away you make a conscious decision to make a difference.

As I set off on my shopping trip to Walmart (you can see the entire shopping trip in my Google + album), I decided that I would make this a monthly activity.  I could easily carve $30 out of my grocery budget and make snack packs for kids in my town who were in need.

My first stop at Walmart was to find Zone Perfect bars.  Not knowing much about these bars, I did a bit of research online.  Zone Perfect bars are based on the 40/30/30 concept – 40% of calories from carbohydrates, 30% of calories from protein and 30% of calories from fat.  Much better than a candy bar or bag of chips, these bars came in a variety of flavors that sounded delicious.

As I headed over to the grocery section of the store, I thought about what items a elementary school child would eat that had some health benefits.  Since most kids like peanut butter, I set off to find peanut butter crackers.  As I was looking along the shelves for the crackers, I noticed a lady with a shopping cart full of ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese.  Being bold, I politely asked her if she was part of a charitable organization.  She told me was purchasing groceries for the food bank at her church.  Every third Wednesday of the month they passed out food collected and purchased by their church.  She told me that charitable organizations such as theirs are able to purchase from the local food bank at a reduced cost per pound but sometimes, it’s cheaper for them to buy at the big box stores and lately, the food banks haven’t had much inventory on their shelves.  She further explained that people no longer have the time or know how to cook (the reason for all the ramen noodles!).  They want convenience foods, even if they aren’t the best for them.

After hearing this, I knew that I wanted to donate my snack packs to her organization.  I explained the Abbott Champions for Kids campaign and we exchanged information.  As I went on with my shopping, I knew that this chance encounter in Walmart would make a difference.

Living up to my part of the bargain, I met Sondra last week and delivered the snack packs.  And even though the day was rainy and gloomy, I was grinning ear to ear.

Food Bank Volunteers

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  I was compensated for my participation but all statements are 100% mine. #AbbottCFK #CBias