Think for a moment how it feels when you skip a meal.
Your head begins to hurt, your hands may begin to shake, your stomach aches and your patience is thin.
Now imagine that you feel this way every day. Not because you are too busy to stop and eat lunch, but because you don’t have enough food to eat.
Now imagine that you are a child trying to learn, trying to pay attention in class, but all you can think about is how hungry you are.
Studies show that children who skip breakfast are more likely have behavioral problems, have a hard time paying attention in class, make more visits to the school nurse and are more likely to be overweight. These children often live in homes that are food-insecure.
Food-insecure is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. In Richmond County, 23 percent of households are food-insecure.
In support of Small Farms Week from March 20-26, the Cooperative Extension Program of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University is partnering with each county extension office to help feed hungry people throughout North Carolina.
In Richmond County, 29.3 percent of children live in food-insecure homes. In order to help other children, members of Richmond County 4-H will be collecting canned goods and other non-perishable food items until March 11.
All food collected will be donated to Our Daily Bread, ensuring that items collected will be helping local food-insecure residents.
If you would like to donate canned foods or non-perishable food items, donations can be made at the Richmond County Extension Office, 123 Caroline St. in Rockingham.
For more information about the food drive or 4-H, contact Alyson Hoffman at 910-997-8255 or [email protected].
Alyson Hoffman is the Richmond County Cooperative Extension’s 4-H youth development agent.