Teacher shares heartbreaking reason why he quietly checks for unopened food parcels in his classroom
Williams shared with his followers the plight of watching some kids face food insecurity during weekends.
Witnessing children starve due to food insecurity can be one of the most heartbreaking moments. With SNAP benefits frozen due to the government shutdown, several people across the US have come forward to offer a helping hand with food assistance. A teacher (@mrwilliamsprek) shared on November 1 how he helped kids in his school not go hungry on weekends.
"When I was teaching my first job in Northern Indiana, I knew the children who were going home that were food insecure, had not a single meal to eat on Saturdays and Sundays," Williams shared. He made it his mission to never let his students go hungry and to ensure they had something to eat. "So what I used to do was when there was an unopened snack or a non-perishable food item in the closet that no one ate, I would save it in our cabinet, and on Friday I would place these snacks in the bags of the students I knew were food insecure, so that they would have something to eat," he explained.
Drawing attention to the recent freezing of SNAP benefits, Williams shared that he has been reaching out to food banks in Chester County to ensure he could offer help in stocking food. "I live in Chester County, and yesterday I reached out to the Chester County food bank. I asked if I could partner with them to make sure they are stocked as much as possible for the 73,000 people in Chester County who rely on SNAP benefits." He was able to reach the small goal he had set and now wishes to go beyond the existing goal. Urging people to come forward, the teacher said, "I'm not asking you to buy a t-shirt or makeup, I'm asking you to help feed our neighbors who need that help right now." Williams noted that if the government is not willing to take care of its people, it is important as neighbors to initiate help.
Food insecurity is one of the foremost reasons children suffer from chronic health conditions. In a 2023 study by JAMA Pediatrics, it was noted that between 2015 and 2019, 4.5% of all families experienced food insecurity across all three survey waves, and an increase of 2.1% was recorded between 1999 and 2003. Among low-income families with children, the rate was notably higher at 10.9% during the 2015-2019 period.
After Williams' video went viral, many online users praised the teacher's efforts. @katie.thenewmama wrote, "I'm so impressed with all the ways people are coming together to help feed their neighbors. I'm equally unimpressed with our government actively choosing to keep its citizens hungry." @illectric commented, "Empathy is everything. Thank you for all you do." @nokidhungry shared, "Our students are lucky to have you. Thank you for speaking about this!"
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