My children love to skip through our neighborhood high-end grocery store suggesting additional items to our weekly menu while tasting free samples of roast beef tenderly prepared by the culinary chef-on-site.  We never leave Heinens without sipping free apple cider.  They do not know hunger.  I hope they never will.

When I immigrated to the United States many civic agencies held our hands throughout the journey.  I was exactly my daughter's age when I ate bland soup from an army canister in an Austrian refugee camp.  The textures of my surroundings that night are still so new in my memory but the agency that helped us, has fled my mind.  The CRC paid for our plane tickets to America and years later my mother with a fist-full of dollars and killer stilettos walked into the CRC office to return the money.  No other image makes me giggle with pride as much.

My personal history shapes the way I mother.  My three children live in a bubble.  Exposed to poverty only on the occasional volunteering project I so desperately seek out locally or so on our travels abroad.  I want them to be exposed to the world outside of our ridiculously Norman Rockwell-ish community, the bubble, that is powered by bellies full of over-priced organic rice cereal each morning.  Blogging has helped me open those doors introducing my children to more.

"The dot com just gave you $100?"  My eldest asked.

"Yes.  I lost a contest online but the company was happy to hear that I was going to donate the money anyways."

"What does donate me?"

"It means to give.  You give when you don't really need. To help someone that really needs it more than you."

"Who are you giving the money to?"

"The Cleveland Food Bank because I read somewhere that Ohio is third in the country with the largest number of kids five and under who are hungry."

"Kids are hungry?"

I twittered and twittered and tweeted and tweeted about the contest hoping I would win. I lost. However, and more importantly,  Pear Tree Greetings (the contest organizers) offered me $100 to donate to the Foodbank because they thought it was great that I was going to donate the money.  The Cleveland Food Bank invited us on a special tour.  Which we prepared for and eagerly waited for, with $100 in hand.  And $0.45 of loose change in the pockets of a seven-year-old that just completed his Christmas shopping and that was all he had but he really wanted to give.

The kids were amazed.  At the sheer volume of the place.  A place bigger than the Home Depot stacked with dry foods that gets replenished every 2 to 3 days due to demand.  Imagine the Home Depot going through their entire stock in 2 days... that is what the Food Bank does.  Because there's a need.

They found some of their favorites.  Apple sauce.  Peanut Butter.  Ramen noodles.  KIX cereal.  And giggled at the similarities they shared with the foods donated to the Food Bank.  "I love Mac N Cheese."  In which Katrina, our delicious guide, proclaimed that Mac N Cheese was one of the most popular items donated.

I hope that this "field-trip" to the Cleveland Food Bank will stick out in my children's memories, knowing that our $100 helped 400 meals and that my son's change helped with almost two meals.  Thank you Pear Tree Greetings.  And Cleveland Food Bank.  I was able to teach my children so much today, all because of the dot com.

Each second Thursday and third Monday of each month is FAMILY NIGHT at the Cleveland Foodbank.  In which young families (kids ages 6 to 11)  volunteer by re-packaging donated foods.  Pizza and soda is provided.  Please be advised that you must call to make a reservation as the foodbank books well in advance.  Contact Alan, Volunteer Services Manager at 216-738-2053 or afratus at clevelandfoodbank dot org.