Donate to Ensure No Student Goes Hungry

I am a veteran educator. My students need food daily and basic supplies. I work in a Title 1 school, and I spend $700-$1,000 a year on snacks and supplies for my students. Plus, coats, hoodies, hats, gloves, journals, and fun pens for self-care/mental health, and funds to attend field trips. I need to ask kind and generous people to help me, since I know they will.

At the end of the school year, as I informed students that they can always come to me for anything next year, though I will not be their teacher, I am still here to support them. One male student hung back and asked if he could still come for a granola bar in August if he needed one for lunch. This student is already concerned about food insecurity NEXT YEAR! It hurts my heart. I have never turned away a hungry student or colleague. I have had students come each day or week for three years or more for food. This takes quite a toll on my salary after 20 years.

In the past, I have gone $7,000 in debt each year for four-plus years just to teach! I have a Master's degree and made so little, I went in debt to have my teaching job, let alone the money I spent to help my students with food, supplies, and other needs. With the changes in funding for SNAP and other government-supported programs, I envision the need this year and subsequent ones being even higher.