Help Make 2013 a Hunger-Free Summer with the ConAgra Foods Foundation

June 21 marks the first official day of summer, a season that conjures up visions of carefree days of picnics, baseball games, swimming, and fireworks. However, for 21.5 million children who rely on free or reduced-price school meals to help keep them from going hungry, summer doesn’t always bring fun and relaxation. Only 2.3 million children are enrolled in summer meal programs, leaving millions of children at an increased risk of hunger during the summer.

To help, The Motherhood is honored to be working with the ConAgra Foods Foundation on the Hunger-Free Summer initiative to spread awareness about child hunger during the summer months. The program, now in its fourth year, has delivered more than 2.5 million meals and snacks to children struggling with hunger over the summer. This year alone, Hunger-Free Summer is providing grants to 29 food banks in 20 states to help overcome the barriers to providing meals to children.

The ConAgra Foods Foundation is making it easy for everyone to take action in this heart-breaking fight. The ConAgra Foods Foundation has partnered with actor and father of five Chris O’Donnell to create a brief video that raises awareness about childhood hunger.

For every view of the video, a meal is donated.

For many children, the thought of one of their peers experiencing hunger can be difficult to grasp, but the fact is, more than 1 in 5 kids are food insecure. We encourage you to take 90 seconds to watch the video in its entirety and to share it with others. Besides opening up a dialogue with your children about this critical issue, the video gives you the chance to help make a difference in the life of a hungry child.

Additionally, you can learn more about the face of hunger in your local area. An interactive map called Map the Meal Gap, shows you the number and percentage of people in your area who are food insecure, the cost of one meal, and the amount of money required to meet food needs.