Understanding the challenges in the world around us can be difficult when we’re wrapped up in day to day life. As a recent high school graduate, I can totally understand that feeling. I’ve never had to worry where my next meal is coming from.

A few years ago, I learned that childhood hunger is a big issue for kids living and attending school only 2.3 miles from where I attended school every day. That was a real wakeup call for me, so my two sisters, my best friend and I decided that we had to do something to help.

Creating a solution
We read about a charity called Blessings in a Backpack that provides food for children who don’t have access to enough food after the school week ends. I was truly inspired by the work being done and was excited to create a chapter at Mt. Olive Elementary. To start, we shopped, packed and delivered food every week for 20 children.

But we quickly expanded our efforts. As a result, we now help more than 75 children every week. Each backpack we donate includes non-perishable, nutritious food and costs around $2. Working on such an important project and meeting some incredible people has made a major impact on my life.

Seeing the difference firsthand
At the end of our first year, Mt. Olive Elementary invited us to an assembly. We were finally able to meet the children we had been working to help. We were also honored to receive the school’s “Gift to the Community” award. Even though the school was thanking us, I felt that I should have been thanking them. It felt incredible when a mother came up and thanked us “for everything that [we] had done to help the kids.” It is a powerful feeling to understand you’ve made a difference in someone’s life.

Later, we had an important conversation with the school’s special needs teacher. She explained that “not only do the backpacks help the children, but also their families,” and that many families with disabled children have benefited greatly. Although I’ve always understood the importance of feeding the hungry, hearing these stories firsthand demonstrated how critical the issue of hunger is for so many people.

We can all make a difference
Our goal for Blessings in a Backpack was always to increase support and expand our chapter to eliminate childhood hunger for as many families as possible. I have been so impressed with the students at my alma mater of Woodward Academy. With their help, we more than doubled our initial delivery. Now that I have graduated, I’m confident that our Blessings in a Backpack chapter will continue to grow and help more children. This realization was a major turning point for me because I became aware that I was involved in something greater than myself. Every one of us has the power to make a difference.