Food

Although the percentage of food insecure households in US dropped to 14% between 2008 and 2018, estimates by Northwestern University predict that number has doubled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Food insecurity can lead to poor health, increased mental concerns and slower progress in education, especially during a child’s developmental stages.

Learn more about Children’s Food Insecurity in the US (USDA report)

Water

Every 21 seconds, a child dies as a result of a water-related disease. That is 1.5 million children a year. In the world, 663 million people do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. Lack of clean water leads to problems with food production, brain function and, in extreme cases, kidney damage and failure.

Learn more facts about the Water Crisis in the World (thirstproject.org)

Clothes

The right to adequate clothing is recognized as a human right by several international human rights organizations, including the UN’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Improper clothing can lead to discrimination and even death from hypothermia or heat stroke.

Learn more about the Human Right to proper Clothing

Education

There are 7.1 million households in the US where parents do not have a high school diploma. According to UNESCO, 263 million children in the world are out of school, 120 million of which are under the age of 14. Access to a good education has the potential to reduce poverty and decrease social inequalities.

Learn more about why education is an important human right

FACT #1

1 billion kids worldwide lack access to proper food, water, clothes and an education

FACT #2

As of 2018, 12.8 million children in the United States are living below the poverty line

FACT #3

If we can make change in our communities, we can start to make change worldwide. All we have to do is get involved.

Mission Statement

My cousins attend school in Putnam County, Florida, where 44% of their peers qualify for free or reduced price lunch at school because their families don’t make enough money to put food on the table every day. My mom runs a baton class in Union County, where over 25% of her students are living below the poverty line. My grandmother grew up in Dixie County, the fourth poorest county in the state. Despite all of these statistics, the kids I know from my cousins’ school and my mom’s baton classes are some of the brightest kids I’ve ever met with some of the biggest hearts, but it’s hard to tell that until they’ve had at least one meal to start their day. Unfortunately, most of them don’t have access to a meal until they get to school. This is unacceptable in today’s world. How will we find cures to seemingly incurable diseases if the potential greatest doctors of our time don’t have access to breakfast each morning? How will we make new discoveries about our universe if the potential greatest astronomers of our time don’t have a warm meal to come home to at the end of the day? How are kids meant to learn and grow the same as their peers when they can hardly find the strength to get out of bed in the morning?

Over 21% of children are living life below the poverty line in the US alone. This number is pretty daunting, but it’s nothing compared to the estimated 45% of children worldwide who don’t have access to clothes, education, food, and clean water. These sobering facts are why I want to reach beyond my community and provide for kids with limited resources to reach their unlimited potential.

Ronald Reagan once said “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” This is 100% true and is something that I hope can be seen in my platform. Kids are our future and they are the only thing about our future that is absolutely certain. We don’t know what our climate will do, we don’t know who our politicians will be, but we do know that today’s kids will grow into tomorrow’s adults. It’s in our best interest to invest in them.

— Miss River City’s Outstanding Teen 2020 Liz Stoeber

How can I help?