Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity established in 2012, and has grown as a movement ever since. It takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year, giving us the opportunity to turn our thoughts to helping others.

We live in a wealthy nation, and at the same time, there’s a hunger problem that impacts our children.

How Prevalent is Childhood Hunger in America?

• 1 in 7 American children live in food-insecure households.
• Younger children face a greater risk of hunger; households with kids under 6 years of age were more likely to lack access to healthy foods.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, amid school closures, childhood hunger became a bigger concern; since March 2020, food insecurity rates for families with children rose by nearly ⅔, with 1 in 5 US families reporting that they did not have enough food.
• In 2019, more than half of households experiencing hunger were in the labor force, and 51% had at least one full-time worker.
• Nearly half of all public school students rely on free or reduced price school meals to meet their nutritional needs.

What Are The Consequences of Childhood Hunger?

• Lack of nutritious and healthy food is linked to low birth weight.
• Hunger in early childhood is associated with delayed development in young children.
• Poor nutrition is linked to increased risk of chronic illnesses, like asthma and anemia.
• Kids who are in food-insecure households are more likely to experience anxiety and display hyperactivity and aggression.

What Are the Solutions to Childhood Hunger?

• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) participation is linked to improved health and educational outcomes for American children; food assistance makes a real difference! 
• Free schoolwide meal programs, in which kids receive free meals at school regardless of income, increases participation in school meals.
• Free school meals improve academic performance.
• Free school meals are associated with 17% fewer suspensions among white male students.

In this day and age, we believe that there is no reason that any child should go hungry. Because of this, we’ve decided to give to No Kid Hungry for Giving Tuesday, 2021 and 2022.

No Kid Hungry is a program dedicated to eliminating childhood hunger in the United States. Launched in 2010 by Share Our Strength, No Kid Hungry helps schools across the country with the guidance and funding they need to establish effective school meal programs, including lunch, breakfast, and sometimes after-school meal programs. They distribute grants to schools, food banks, and other community organizations across the nation to help make sure that kids are fed. They work with elected leaders on the national, state, and local levels to advocate for programs that expand access to food for our most vulnerable families. They also provide research, experts, and tools needed to provide evidence-backed solutions to childhood hunger in America.

No Kid Hungry, in short, is helping communities and schools enact programs that are proven to help kids suffering from food insecurity, while at the same time helping to conduct research into childhood hunger that could help develop new solutions.

We believe that giving to No Kid Hungry is a way for us to fulfil our mission of bringing comfort and glad dreams to kids, and we want you to know that you can help! On Tuesday, November 30th, we’ll be donating the cost of a meal to No Kid Hungry for every order placed on our website. That means that when you buy a gift on our website, you’re not only giving a soft and cuddly toy or outfit to someone in your life, but you’re also giving the gift of a good meal to a child in need. What a perfect way to celebrate the season of giving.

Only by working together as a broader community can we move toward ending childhood hunger. If you’d like, you can also donate directly to No Kid Hungry. We at Bunnies by the Bay would like to thank you, our community, for your help.