07.15.05
more seniors are raising their grandchildren
I come from a family of teachers, so I’ve pretty much heard every teaching story you can think of. I know, my sisters know, and all teachers know that more children are being raised by their grandparents these days than ever before.
In a recent story on KHOU CBS Channel 11, Senior citizens need pantry food, but not just for themselves, the economic reality of these situations are highlighted:
Many senior citizens who depend on weekly visits to local food pantries need the food not just for themselves, but because they are taking of grandchildren.
There are so many children whose only meal of the day is what they’re fed at school. Children who hoard food to give it to their brothers or sisters later in the day. Children who, when given a treat by one of the teachers, ask if they can take it home for later. Children who don’t eat all their food so they can place it on their younger sibling’s plate.
It’s heartbreaking.
More children getting free summer meals, even more may go hungry, reported KTRK ABC Channel 13 recently. Excerpt:
More of Texas’ low-income children are participating in the free summer meal program, but tens of thousands might still go hungry, according to a recent report.
[snip]
But only 8.2 percent of the 2.4 million Texas children eligible for the program in 2004 received the free summer meals, according to findings based on U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Welcome to the reality of teaching.
stories from a Web Junkie life » Cross-posting, by Paloma Cruz said,
July 16, 2005 at 9:49 pm
[…] more seniors are raising their grandchildren. “I come from a family of teachers, so I’ve pretty much heard every teaching story you can think of. I know, my sisters know, and all teachers know that more children are being raised by their grandparents these days than ever before.“ […]