As I ran home to grab a quick bite for lunch, I noticed a
mother and her three small children crossing the road in front of me. I couldn’t help but stare. Their clothes looked worn and their hair a
little frazzled. But they looked so happy, holding hands and smiling. The mother was so careful to watch as my car
was approaching and smiled as I stopped and motioned for them to cross the road.
My first thought was, school is out I wonder what they are
doing at the school in this 100 degree weather?
It then hit me; our local school participates in Georgia’s summer
nutrition programs and offers free breakfast and lunch. My mind began racing as I watched them. Was this
someone living close to me?
I also recalled reading a study that stated about 18,000
more children in July 2014 were fed during summer programs than in July 2013
and that was the good news. The bad news was that this study also stated that
these programs still served less than one in six needy children. It made me
wonder how many more children in our community were home and possibly hungry. I was then struck with a vivid picture and
reminded that poverty had a face…many faces to be exact. It doesn’t have a specific gender, race or live
in a specific neighborhood. Many families struggle to keep food on their tables.
Many do not qualify for assistance and some are too proud to ask for help.
So, as I begin preparing to teach a basic budgeting class at
the local high school, I am certain when I begin to speak about “giving to your
local church and/or charity” as part of your budget, those faces will come to
my mind. I hope I can convey to my students as Anne Frank stated, “No-one has
ever become poor by giving”, and I pray through financial education they never
see the face of poverty in the mirror.
