As my No Kid Hungry Youth Ambassador term begins winding down, I had the opportunity to visit a few more summer meals sights. One of them was William F. Laman Library in North Little Rock. A woman by the name of Gene greeted us when we walked in. During the school year Gene works at a local elementary school cafeteria, so naturally she seems to love the work she is doing and is great with children. She told us that many of the kids receiving summer meals may be homeless and living in a nearby hotel. One boy, by the name of Jalen, was the only kid that showed up for breakfast on this particular day while we were there. He sat outside on a picnic table that they had set up for the kids and ate his muffin and juice. Gene told us that even if nobody else shows up, this child never misses breakfast or lunch.

This day happened to be a particularly slow one, but I realized that although fewer kids had shown up for breakfast that day, at least this site had helped one child that morning. From this one example, I could see that summer meals were truly making a difference in the lives of Arkansas children like Jalen.

We went back to Laman Library around lunch time that day. When we arrived, Gene had already served over 100 children. We watched as siblings came in to grab their boxed lunches and grandparents brought their grandchildren who ate lunch in the library. Not for the first time, I knew that my job as a Youth Ambassador was well worth the work that I put into it. By having the opportunity to see the faces of hungry children who were getting the opportunity to receive meals that they may not have otherwise received, my strong beliefs in this program were affirmed. As I think about my summer as a Youth Ambassador, I have definitely been inspired by the people I see in my community as well as by the people I work with. Because of this I am hopeful that passionate people will continue to work in their communities to end childhood hunger.