Do you know what hunger looks like?

Did you know that 1 in 5 canadians skip meals just to make ends meet? And 4 out of 10 of those assisted by food banks are children. The people we see everyday only show their outward appearances, we do not know who is hungry, who is having problems paying their bills and buying new clothes for their kids. It may surprise you to know I lived most of my childhood years very hungry and without nice new things. My family survived solely on food bank food and we would usually go hungry until we were able to utilize the food bank again. I was around 8 years old when it all began so there was not a lot I could do. By the age of 12 I had gotten my first job and could not wait to escape. I know how it feels to depend on handouts and I know the importance of the food bank and the people behind it. For a lot of people it is not their fault that they need help from the food bank, a lot of users are just down on their luck, or single parents trying to make ends meet, or elderly people living off very small pension income. But there is people out there who are using their food bank because they use the money they do have for alcohol or drugs, and even if that is the case the reason they get food bank food is usually because their is children at home they are taking care of. So the next time you get a chance to donate to your local food bank think about why and who you will be helping. It is not just lazy people who don't want to get jobs, or work hard enough to support their families it is children and people in need. 

If you are in the Okanagan area I invite you to come down to Lil' Sproutz Children's Boutique in West Kelowna and enter for your chance to win one of our awesome prize baskets. Total of all prizes is over $400! Ballots are 2.00 each or 3 for 5.00 and half of all the proceeds will be donated to the West Kelowna Food Bank!  A place that kept my tummy full when I was a child!