The month of May is celebrated as national Family Wellness Month, and it was also when we kicked off our inaugural Take Five to Give $5 campaign. We asked the community to take five minutes to make a difference in someone’s life. Through a new text-to-give mobile giving platform, it really did only take five minutes to give, and the community responded. We raised nearly $20,000 in only eight weeks during a time of year when we don’t typically have that level of monetary support. Donations from Take Five to Give $5 were to support ALICE households. Stay tuned next May when we plan to run the campaign again.
All too often, ALICE households struggle on two ends of the nutritional spectrum: those who don’t have regular access to adequate nutrition, also known as food insecurity, and those who have obesity-related health conditions. Rebecca shares her own personal family struggle with these challenges:
Rebecca, a single mom with four children currently working full-time and pursuing a master’s degree, has $1,000 left every month after paying rent. When she adds in the costs of daycare, student loans, medical bills, car payments, and utilities, she has little money left for food. “Whatever money is left goes to food. I have to make it work. Anything I can do to be resourceful like cook two meals and spread them out throughout the week. I feel so frustrated because I work so hard.”
“Fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables are not cheap. I know it’s important to feed my kids healthy food. My son is now overweight, and I think that it is because I can’t afford to buy healthy food. I buy cheap food that fills him. My son’s pediatrician has warned me of where this is headed. If you could see a picture of him three years ago, when finances were not an issue for me, versus now, he’s gained 14 lbs. in one year. I feel like I’ve let him down as a mother. It’s my responsibility to teach him healthy eating habits. In my heart, it’s not the way I’d want it to be at all.”
Audio: Rebecca in her own words (wma file for Windows) (m4a file for Apple)
In response to health challenges like those described here by Rebecca, UWWC is working with schools, workplaces, and pediatricians to teach children and families the importance of good nutrition and physical activity with our Let’s Go! 5-2-1-0 message.
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