How You Can Help End Childhood Hunger in America

When I was asked to help spread the word about the Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, I didn’t hesitate to say “yes.”  Working in the public school system in one of the most impoverished regions of Eastern Kentucky, I’ve witnessed first hand, the heart-breaking sadness of children who are struggling with hunger.  In Kentucky, an estimated 22 percent of children struggle with hunger.  On a broader scale, 16 million kids struggle with hunger in America.

In our land of “plenty,” 16 million kids still struggle with hunger.

These statistics are staggering.  The problem is one we must all do our part to fix NOW.

It’s easy to blame politicians or the economy or even parents of children who are dealing with hunger issues, but as ethical, caring members of society, we cannot continue to point fingers, we need to take action.

As part of the Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry effort, Ted’s Montana Grill has raised $834,000 to end childhood hunger in the U.S. These funds have helped connect kids in the U.S. to over 8 million additional meals.  I had the opportunity to check out our local Ted’s Montana Grill in Lexington, Kentucky and enjoy a delicious lunch.

The service at Ted’s Montana Grill was impeccable. The food was well worth raving about.  Their sustainability efforts and local food sourcing efforts blew me away.  I’m incredibly impressed with Ted’s Montana Grill’s commitment to providing a wonderful dining experience while simultaneously caring for the environment and supporting the efforts to eliminate child hunger in the United States.

My husband and I became instant fans of the restaurant, savoring every bite of our St. Phillip’s Island Crab Cake, George’s Cadillac Bison Burger and Balsamic Blue Steak Salad.  I’ll be more than happy to share tasting notes with you any time and highly recommend dining there.  It’s now going to be a regular stop for my husband and I.  Not just for the fantastic meal but because I whole-heartedly support their mission to be better stewards of the earth and caring members of our community.

The fact is, as I sat and ate an amazing meal at Ted’s Montana Grill, I couldn’t help but think how many children do not have the opportunity to dine in a restaurant, let alone have their basic nutritional needs met.  1 in 5 US kids do not get the food they need.

I am very grateful for the blessing of the food we are privileged to enjoy at Ted’s Montana Grill and I’m even more grateful that they encourage diners to view their meals and the world differently and to help the important cause of eradicating child hunger issues.  When you dine at Ted’s, guests can donate $5, $10 or $15 towards the Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry cause, and will receive one $5 thank you for donations of $5 or more.  In essence, you gift a child in need the food that they need and receive a gift of delicious food in return with the money off your next purchase.

And there’s more!  Love drinking wine? Even better. This year, Ted’s also has a unique partnership with Bison Ridge Wine. Bison Ridge will donate 50 cents for each glass and $1 for each bottle purchased during the campaign. At the end of the campaign, Ted’s will match this contribution for additional funds to No Kind Hungry.

Share Our Strength created the No Kid Hungry Campaign to raise the funds needed to connect the millions of at-risk children in this country to the nutritious food they need to thrive. The campaign goal is to raise $300,000, which is equivalent to 3 million meals for hungry children in America. The Dine-out will take place at Ted’s Montana Grill through October 2, 2016.

Don’t have a Ted’s Montana Grill in your area or don’t have plans to dine out in the next few weeks?  You can still contribute to this excellent cause, just visit the No Kids Hungry Share Our Strength website to make a secure online donation.  

You can also take additional action to help end hunger in your community through volunteer efforts, advocating, spreading awareness and working directly with local organizations championing the cause. Visit https://www.nokidhungry.org/ for information, ideas and inspiration.

Any of these steps will go a long way towards helping to ensure that no child in our communities struggles with hunger.  Our children need our voice, they need and deserve our strength, resources and compassion to solve this problem.  Please join me in taking positives steps towards a solution!