By Ally Campbell
For the past four years, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School students have participated in GIVE Day. GIVE Day is an event at Henderson Middle where thousands of meals are packaged by students in partnership with Rise Against Hunger and sent to food insecure students all over the world. The GIVE Day Club, made up of students from MEHMS, makes this event happen by raising money, organizing the event, setting up for the event, and educating people in our community about world hunger. GIVE Day is a day where students and staff come together to pack meals for those less fortunate, and it is a way for the entire school to help other people in the world while having fun. This year has been noticeably different than past years, but despite the very unusual circumstances, GIVE Day will still take place this year at Henderson Middle.
Due to the global pandemic, some changes will need to be made to GIVE Day to make it safe for all students and staff participating, but it will still happen, and meals will still be packaged. On Monday, March 22, 300 students and staff will package 20,000 meals that will be sent to food insecure students all over the world. Even though GIVE Day will be different this year, our school will still be helping many people who need it, and that is the only thing that matters to all of us.
The pandemic has hurt so many people, and now more than ever, we need GIVE Day to happen to help starving people all over the world. Due to the spiraling unemployment numbers, and the impact on the world’s economy, the number of people starving in the world has only increased. As of October 2020 the amount of people going to bed on an empty stomach is 690 million, which means that over 10 percent of the world is food insecure. The world has the resources and the means to fix world hunger, and it starts right here, with you.
This year, it is more crucial than ever that you donate, or contribute to one of GIVE Day’s fundraisers because more people are starving, and we can help.
You can donate $34 for 100 meals on Henderson PTA’s website, or dine out at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack on Saturday, March 13 from 5 – 8 p.m. to support the cause.
World hunger is a huge problem that has lasted and affected our world since the beginning of time. It is our job as those who are more fortunate to help those who are less fortunate, so let’s join together and do what’s right.
Slowly but surely, we as individuals and as a community can help to better our world and reduce the percentage of hungry people that live in it.
Ally Campbell is an 8th grader at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School and is also a member of the school’s GIVE Day Club.
