9-year-old student tells virtual class she is starving

A third grade New Jersey girl burst into tears during her virtual class confessing to teachers and students that she was starving. She is one of about 18 million children nationwide facing food insecurity. Michael George reports.

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[earth]

I don't think people realize how many kids depend on school for food, not just learning.

[helenburns]

Brave little girl for telling others she was hungry.

[custommoney]

That little girl is a hero. When a child is suffering, we teach them to hide it out of shame. This little girl opened her mouth and improved the situation for her whole family and helped be a reminder to those of us well-fed enough to forget.

[epramos]

There shouldn't be starving children in a country like ours

[sirbryan_TV]

It must have been awful for her to admit that. God bless to those who have helped her and her family.

[neena_gems]

I always tell my children to keep your eyes and ears open if you see a child in need, give what you have and let's do something about it. Let's teach all our kids this kind of awareness, because it DOES take so much courage to speak up.

[jcthegreat]

You know the world is in bad shape when it takes a crying child just to get people to feed others who are in desperate need smh

[taragriffiths]

I love how the community helps, instead of reporting the poor family to CPS.

[terrywalker]

How can anyone in America go hungry, when restaurants and grocery stores throw away tons of food a day?

[andybell]

I feel this little girls pain. Your stomach hurts so bad. When I was little my mom raised 5 kids by herself back in 1960's . We had food only around paydays. She worked two jobs. My mom was wonderful and did the best she could . When we went to school I made a piece of bread with a bit of butter and lots of sugar then stuck it in my brown bag that I would never threw away. I would sit on a bench far away from everyone because I knew I was embarrassed. The sugar would fall all over but I was happy just to have that. Lots of other little girls and boys had lunch pails or ate in the cafeteria. I knew we were different but never thought there was a different way. I would hurt for food. For this little girl to speak out for these wonderful people that reached out you will be blessed. There are more people out there now that feel this actual pain of hunger.

[troibltn]

how lucky i am for my school to serve free lunch to whoever needs it during distance learning.

[miriameclipse]

I’m so happy she spoke out and people came to her rescue 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[sandramatias]

That just broke my heart. Ugh crying 😢

[HaibTshajHaib]

I can’t stand to see hungry kids...my heartaches!

[lovethatforme]

I remember my mom not having food. We had to eat what the neighbors gave us. I remember wanting to eat so bad. Craving bananas. Eating rice only once a day. I remember I used to sleep so I could past the time faster and not feel hungry. I feel for this child.

[kekef]

I thought I knew struggle and poverty until I learned a lot of kids only meal is at school. I'm still shocked at this revelation.

[dr.keelittle]

As a social worker, that’s immediately where my heart went when the pandemic hit🥺😷all those kids who rely on school as their safe place! Glad this young girl found the courage to still feel safe in the virtual environment. If it’s rough on us, think about our kids

[quinitawhitfield]

This is very upsetting. Im on the brink of tears. I remember being food insecure and how much the school system lunches helped make sure I ate. My mom use to teach early childhood and they had programs there as well. Its really horrible how worse its gotten since the pandemic

[NativeAmericanSwag]

This baby is very brave to explain what she's going through, and is also a hero for getting her family food! 🙏💪👏

[anaVIP]

I'm a single mother with a 9 year old boy and was released from my job March 13 of 2020 and still unemployed... my heart goes out to everyone else in this situation. It's hard and my son was recently diagnosed with ASD and already had ADHD since he was 4. It's a struggle not a lot of ppl realize. It takes a village and knowing we aren't alone can help a lot. Stop the judgment and open your hearts to others not just during this time but everyday.