There you are standing with wallet in hand and you notice this lonely dollar, possibly change from this mornings coffee or part of a growing collection of dollars acquired by the trickling of funds throughout the week. Now stop for a moment and ask yourself; Where will this dollar go? Maybe a convenience store hotdog, maybe a sinful treat off the illustrious dollar menu or maybe it will get tucked away with a pile of other dollars and eventually spent on something like a pack of gum or better yet, more coffee. Dramatic I know, but think of all the trivial things we toss these seemingly inconsequential dollars at daily.
So what if that dollar could do more? What if that dollar could grant exceptional things like happiness or security, or hope. But that's just silly…right? After all, it's just a dollar. The reality of it is the majority of us don't benefit from a dollar at all. So what about the minority? What about the people who not only depend on that dollar, but the nickles and dimes as well. One out of every five families struggles to afford enough food, one out of every four children worry about where their next meal will come from and for the 15.5 million children living in poverty your dollar is more than just a dollar. It is exceptional, it is hope and it is security. With your little dollar Share Our Strength can connect a hungry child with 10 meals. With that dollar a child can live their life for three days and not worry about whether or not they will eat. (How's that double cheeseburger tasting now?)
These exceptional feats are only possible because of the exceptional people who refuse to accept that our country has hungry children. Wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to take such a small amount and make it great. People who are committed to making a change that was once thought of as impossible.
I won't ask you to dedicate your life and I won't ask you to commit to every free moment of your day (although both are warmly welcomed). What I will ask is that you stop the next time you pull a dollar out of your pocket and question if you could do more. If you find yourself at that moment think yes, yes I can and want to do more, please consider taking that dollar and using it to fight childhood hunger in America. If not, please enjoy that convenience store hotdog (they are my daughter's favorite)
Thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend! ~ Michele
Tags: No Kid Hungry Great American Bake Sale Share Our Strength Dollar
