If You #ShareAMeal It Will Help #EndChildHunger! Share this post and the video! #spon

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Today is Halloween. It’s one of those days where so many of us have an early dinner and head out trick or treating. Then we enjoy our candy. As a child I was always happy when neighbors gave out candy at all, and I was really happy when they gave out “good candy”. I sort of thought that young kids nowadays looked at things the same way. But, maybe not all of them do. Maybe some of them are just plain grateful if they had anything at all to eat today.

Right now, TODAY, right here in America, one in six people struggle with hunger.  While we enjoy the Halloween day, with the trick-or-treating and fun events and activities, there are people that are hungry. And that number includes children. Right now, this moment, there are 16 million children struggling with hunger. That is a staggering number. 16 MILLION. That’s the population of Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago combined. It’s a ratio of 1 in 5. That’s right. One out of every five children in America face hunger. The odds are that you may know a child struggling with hunger. With stats like that it would be hard not to. There could be a child that is hungry right now n your town. In your neighborhood. On your street. On your block. That just boggles my mind. This problem impacts so many that it doesn’t just hit close to home, it walks up and knocks on your door. That’s got to change.

Unilever Project Sunlight is rallying people across the country to “Share A Meal” to help fight child hunger in America. Project Sunlight is a growing community of people that believes it is possible for everyone to thrive and no child be hungry. By sharing the messages and getting people involved we will take another step towards living sustainably and wiping out childhood hunger.

Now, dad turned child advocate, Josh Duhamel, is joining forces with Unilever Project Sunlight and Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, to launch a nationwide initiative to raise awareness for this issue that hits close to home by rallying friends and families to “Share A Meal” to turn the tables on child hunger in America.

“As a father, it’s inconceivable to me that the kids I see on the playground, or in my neighborhood, could be from a home that doesn’t have enough food on the table,” said Duhamel. “I’ve joined Unilever Project Sunlight to bring awareness to the critical issue of child hunger in America, and to demonstrate how together we can help solve this problem if we all do our part.”

I’ve said for years that one person can make a difference. There are many ways that you can help make a difference.

• Help a Family in Your Neighborhood: Simply sharing a meal with a neighbor either in the form of a simple lunch or dinner party, or even packing an extra lunch for your child to take to school, could go a long way.
• Partner with Local Organizations: Local community organizations are great resources for sharing a meal in your area – simply tap into their networks to see how you can help.
• Coordinate with Your Local Food Bank: Whether you wish to volunteer or host your own local food drive, use Feeding America’s online Food Bank Locator tool to get in touch with a food bank in your area.
• Host a Virtual Food Drive: Feeding America’s Personal Fundraiser tool is a great place to start and to reach out to friends, family, and colleagues for contributions.
• Donate: Consider swapping a night out with a night in and share those extra savings with children and families in need in the form of a donation to Feeding America.
• You Buy One, We Give One: Look for the Unilever “You Buy One, We Give One” coupon offer in the Sunday paper on November 16. Redeem at participating stores from November 16 – 30 and Unilever will donate one meal* to Feeding America when you purchase any participating Unilever product.
• Lend Your Voice: Inspire others by revealing why you’re helping to end child hunger on social media using, “I #ShareAMeal because…”

I hope you will take a moment to view a very touching and important 4-minute documentary, “Going to Bed Hungry: The Changing Face of Child Hunger.”

Please share this post and the video above, in order to spread the word. Please join Project Sunlight and Feeding America in taking steps to help solve childhood hunger. No child should be hungry on any given day. The holiday season is upon us. What better way to kick it off then by sharing a meal!

And please do check back soon, as I’ll have another post sharing additional ways that you yourself can make a difference.

To learn more please visit ProjectSunlight.us. There is a lot of info there, including the Share A Meal Toolkit.

You can find Unilver Project Sunlight on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

You can find Feeding America on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Do you personally know of any children that are dealing with childhood hunger?