My son is in first grade and went on a field trip the other day. The kids were served lunch,

[driver8]

and as the kids were eating, one little boy said, "I'm going to take part of my lunch home to have for dinner because we don't have any food at my house."

My wife was on the field trip as a chaperone, and had tears in her eyes when she told me the story. I was wondering, is there a way we could do something for the family without them knowing it was us? I was thinking of getting a gift card to a grocery store, maybe...I don't know. I know this could be a touchy situation and I don't want to insult the parents.

Any suggestions?

[david13]

1. I would say the best way is through friendship. Invite them over

for a barbeque or some such thing. Or go over to their house for a visit.
You may then find out what the problem is. And help. Even to get them to apply for social services.
dc

[RadiationTherapy]

2. Well, my kid often says there is "no food" at her house.

But it is most certainly not the case. I think I would want some other evidence before doing anything.

[driver8]

5. That's what I'm thinking...

The only reason I think this might be real is because there are a lot of lower income families at my kids' school.

[struggle4progress]

3. One traditional way to help is: anonymously. You could (say) tape the gift card to their

door -- or mail it to them, without return address, in some unusual envelope that you think they'll really open and not just toss

[elleng]

7. I like this approach, tape or slip under door.

[LeftinOH]

4. There is always the chance that the child was exaggerating, or..

he overheard one of the parents say something like "I've got to go to the grocery store soon.. we're out of everything". Some kids may hear that and take it literally.

[driver8]

6. My wife told me that the boy gets free lunch and breakfast at school.

So I get the feeling that the family is going through some tough times.

[elleng]

9. Sounds to me like your feeling is correct.

I wouldn't put too much credit to suggestions kid exaggerated or lied.

Thanks for your family's thoughtfulness.

[Bunny]

12. I agree. My kids have often remarked that 'there's no food in this house'

when in reality, there's plenty of food. It's just not stuff that they really like to eat.

If the kid's getting free breakfast and lunch, I think a gift card to the local market would be pretty helpful.

[elleng]

13. Agree.

Kids saying to us 'there's no food in the house,' really meaning there's nothing I like at the moment, is very different from a kid saving food from school outing/picnic to take home for family, imo.

[Kali]

8. talk to the principal

thank you for helping, so much need out there (it could be a kid's perspective such as nothing good to eat, as others above said - or he may have teen aged siblings that just keep kitchen stocks low no matter how much or often the parents shop!)

[bif]

10. My daughters used to open up our fridge and say...

"There's never anything to eat around here" as they stare at a very full fridge. What they really meant is "There's never any junk food around here!"

[driver8]

11. I don't think that is the case, here.

There are a lot of lower income families at my kids' school, and my wife has informed me that this boy gets free breakfast and lunch at school.

However, I hope you are correct!

[orleans]

21. i think it's a great thing that you want to help out

while i know kids say crazy things sometimes i don't think this is necessarily the case with the kid you refer to (when my daughter was little she told people she hadn't had a bath in a year! i was horrified--but it was probably a combination of the fact that little kids don't have a grasp on time and my mother's sense of humor -- i can just imagine my mom making a comment like "you need a bath tonight; you haven't had one for a year!" hahaha)

i remember my daughter's grade school had a program that did a secret santa for anyone who was interested in helping out the needy families. i don't remember how they set it up exactly--i'm not sure if we were given a list with code numbers on it or if we took a little paper note (like a star or something) off a giving tree and each star had a code number. when we bought the present we had to put the code on it that matched up with the item--which let the school know which family it was for. and whether it was for a boy or girl.

it was a really nice program.

maybe you could start up some similar program at your school--something about sponsoring a family/kid/classmate, etc. a couple times a year, or on a monthly basis--something.

[DebJ]

22. I understand that but don't think this would cause a child to save

half his sandwich for later.

[applegrove]

14. A gift card sounds like a great idea.

[Arugula Latte]

15. I agree w/ the gift card. You could probably find their address and mail it.

It could be anonymous if you think that would help. Maybe a note with something like: "It's expensive to live these days...Everybody can use a helping hand sometimes."

[Gidney N Cloyd]

16. And with a nice note like that, if the family doesn't need it they might give it to someone who does

[kimi]

17. Oh, I think the gift card is a great idea!

Maybe check with the principal to figure out a way to get it to the family without their knowing that the child said anything. (People can be proud.)

Really, it's so commendable of you to do this, to even consider this. Confirms my faith in people helping people, just through knowledge of the plight of others. Thank you. :)

[driver8]

18. Thanks...I appreciate that. n/t

[JitterbugPerfume]

19. My grand son once told me

that their refrigerator looked like they were moving. I can vouch for the fact that he had never seen a hungry day.

[specik39]

20. no 158

wish good luck to you