How to Support the No Kid Hungry Campaign

With moving into a new home this summer, we’ve had anything but a routine in our lives lately. But back to school season is upon us! Which means life will be a little bit structured once more. While I’m so ready for that, there is nothing like that carefree summertime feeling when school is out and the day is all yours. Annie and I are soaking in the last few weeks of summer with picnics in the park, playdates with friends and decorating our new house. One thing we have done way too much of is eating! For some reason, the summer season makes it feel like it’s totally okay to finish lunch with a popsicle and dinner with an ice cream cone.

These simple summer traditions are something that we are honestly so fortunate to be able to have. It’s easy to take for granted an ice cream cone and even easier to not realize that a healthy dinner is not something easily attainable for all. While out shopping for a few back-to-school necessities, I heard about Stage’s No Kid Hungry mission and read about their efforts to provide healthy meals for hungry children both during the school year and the summer season.

Stage’s brands of stores (including Bealls, Palais Royal, Stage, Peebles Goody’s and Gordmans) is making it easier than ever for shoppers to directly donate to this amazing organization and help children in need. In today’s post, I’m sharing a few more details on how important this cause is along with how simple it is for all of us to support this healthy eating initiative. I’m also sharing a few fun ways I’m incorporating play to teach Annie the importance of healthy eating & bit on a few adorable & versatile outfits I grabbed for Annie, perfect for preschool play, below!

How We Can Help Feed Others Have Healthy Meals Every Day Through No Kid Hungry

Did you know that over thirteen million U.S. children struggle with hunger every single day!? That translates to 1 in 6 American school-age children. During the school year, sometimes it’s school lunches that provide the only meal for a child that day. And come summertime, 6 out of 7 of those children don’t get the meals that they need. That is why Stage is partnering with No Kid Hungry this season to give back and support those families in this critical time of year.

Those statistics are staggering to hear and make me all the more grateful for the everyday things I take for granted, like a healthy meal 3x a day. Thankfully, there are so many ways that we can give back and support this amazing cause to ensure that no kid ever does go hungry. When shopping for select items at Stage Stores (you can see the entire collection here) fifty percent of your purchase will go directly to this great organization.

You can also donate directly to No Kid Hungry here. Additionally, you can help alleviate hunger in your city by supporting local food banks either directly or through your grocery store. My family is also trying to be more mindful of the way that we shop and prepare food each and every day, in an effort that nothing goes to waste.

Encouraging My Own Family to Eat Healthier

We really are so incredibly blessed to be able to grab one of each and every fruit or vegetable we want off the shelves at our local grocery store. And yet, it can be easy to opt for simple meals (helloooo, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!) just to save time at the end of a long day. A nutritious diet is key to healthy living. But sometimes when I go through all the trouble to prepare those meals for my family, they can be met by my adorable toddler with all sorts of two-year-old angst!

How many of you mamas have seen green beans fly past your face at record speed!?

In an effort to have fun with healthy eating education, I picked up this precious wooden Salad Kit set by Melissa & Doug from Stage. We love Melissa & Doug’s quality wooden toys that celebrate a child’s curiosity with play. This Slice & Toss Salad Set was too cute to resist and with it we’ve been able to have fun teaching Annie all about delicious ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers!

Let’s be honest, I could have soooo used this toy at her age! It took me YEARS to eat even a piece of tomato by itself. Now Annie asks if she can swipe pieces of tomatoes off of our own salads and sandwiches.

Three cheers for Annie (currently!) loving leafy greens and colorful veggies!

It really is so great that when a place you already shop and visit frequently incorporates an initiative like this into stores. I picked up a few adorable back-to-school outfits for Annie (like these overalls, this top & even my top too!), along with a cute new lunch tote and water bottle. It’s a great feeling to know that a piece of my purchase went back to my community and the entire experience of supporting an organization through shopping makes me want to find other ways I can give back too.

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Are there charities or organizations that you support regularly? I always love hearing about new ones I can support, so please leave those in the comments below!
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Another thing I’d love to ask y’all … what are YOUR tips on encouraging your children to eat healthier too!? Now that is something I could always use a little bit of help with – even when I think I’ve got it all covered, two-year-old’s can change their minds faster than you can blink!!

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