How can teens deal with food insecurity? Popkin says they shouldn’t feel ashamed and should reach out for help.
Schools offer free lunch to students who need it. A program called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) gives cards to low-income families that they can use to purchase food. When that money runs out, they can turn to local food banks, which hand out food to needy families.
That’s a job that Ivery has taken on in his community in Chicago. In the summer, he worked with a local group called Metropolitan Family Services. They gave out backpacks full of food. “I just loved to see the smile on people’s faces,” he says. “That’s what it’s about, making people happy.”
Ivery’s pretty happy too. He’s working hard at school, plans on becoming a lawyer, and currently has a job at a fast-food restaurant. He can buy a burger whenever he wants one. He can buy his own pants or a hoodie so his parents don’t have to.
For now, Ivery doesn’t have to worry about going to bed hungry. But he hasn’t forgotten what it felt like. “I just thank God for not having to do that anymore,” he says. •