What Does Hunger Mean To You?

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa

Instead of sharing Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals with you this year (and potentially buying all sorts of things I don’t even need!), I’m hoping you’ll join me in helping feed the hungry this holiday season.

Barefeet In The Kitchen will donate $5 to Feeding America for every comment on this blog post. In addition to that, on December 4th, we will match all donations made to Feeding America through this link, up to $25,000.

As we sit down at tables overflowing with food to celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I’m reminded that the struggle to put food on the table is part of everyday life for so many families.

The number of people living in food-insecure households in the United States in 2023 increased to 47 million, including nearly 14 million children, according to the report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is a significant increase over the previous year and it is the highest rate and number of individuals and children since 2014.

How many families could we feed if we work together to donate what we can? For every dollar donated through Feeding America 10 meals are provided – TEN meals, my friends, that is no small thing.

We are all in the presence of hunger, seen or unseen, and even a dollar or two can make a difference. If we hit our goal of $50,000, together we will provide 500,000 meals!

If this is your first time visiting Barefeet In The Kitchen, you might be impressed with pretty pictures of delicious-sounding recipes. Most of these dishes are not the foods I remember from my childhood.

As I was growing up, my family was often blessed with food gifts from charity. Church groups, food pantries, and the kindness of friends and strangers, all contributed to a childhood that I never understood to be lacking. 

I learned a lot from countless meals of plain beans, rice, and jello. I remember watching my mother cry over a gift of groceries and I learned to be grateful for the little things in my life.

I didn’t learn to cook from my mother. She pulled together meals with the most limited budget imaginable. Charity food boxes were a highlight of my childhood. The gift of food is something I will never take for granted.

There may never be anything more beautiful to me than a full pantry. The monotony of grocery shopping as an adult is countered by the overwhelming gratitude that I can go to the store and purchase what we need every week.

I researched many charities before deciding to work with Feeding America years ago. Feeding America spends 98.31% of its budget directly on food distribution endeavors.

Leave a comment below sharing your favorite Christmas memory. (Reading your stories is one of my favorite things to do each Christmas!) Barefeet In The Kitchen will donate $5 for each comment and we will also match all donations made to Feeding America HERE up to $25,000.

From the depth of my heart, I thank you all for being the amazing group of people that you are. Thank you for being here, thank you for reading, sharing, and participating with so much generosity. I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas season!

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank